


Wripples

by PatchOfGrey



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, oneshots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-15 23:33:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 43,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9263750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PatchOfGrey/pseuds/PatchOfGrey
Summary: A collection of various NejiTen oneshots. Some Alternate Universe (AU) some not...requests for topics welcome.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Remember, if you have a topic or vignette theme you'd like to request, let me know! I am currently shifting work from Fanfiction.net to this site; so stay tuned for that. ~POG

Waking up.

OooooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

He was always an early riser. The sun wouldn't have been even beginning to rise in the sky, and Neji was already awake. The Hyuga's routine started as such; he would wake up, use the bathroom, change into his early morning work out clothes and jog. He'd jog about the block silently. In comparison, his teammate Rock Lee and sensei Maito Gai have a tendency to pounce around the village at three in the morning, shouting to the world their proclamation of youth. That's one reason he refused to go early morning jogging with him. Another reason was because he wanted to have some alone time to himself before starting the day. Since becoming a Jonnin, Neji hasn't had much time to himself. He would always be sent on missions without his team, he'd be cell leader for whatever mission he was sent on with other Jonnin. But that was at the beginning. It's been two years since he had become a Jonnin, and he will be accepted into the ANBU Black ops with in the end of this year... With his girlfriend, who had become a Jonnin exactly one year after he had.

Speaking of his girlfriend; she was fast asleep in his room.

Tenten was never much of a morning person, as discovered by the male members of Team Gai shortly after being assembled for the first time. On missions, she would be the first to fall asleep so she would be less grumpy when they were woken up to move. However, on days where they weren't away on missions and were training, she would always be last to the field. Neji took the time to meditate while the other two green beasts ran laps around Konoha, doing their own training; which left Tenten and Neji to themselves. Because of this trait, Neji had to learn to deal with almost being shanked whenever he shook her awake. But it was actually Lee who showed him how to wake her gently, avoiding a punch or a knee to the stomach. At this Neji was a bit jealous that the brunette was more sweeter to the bowl cut beast than he, but he simply brushed off the thought, once mastering the art of waking her "gently". When the Hyuga and the weapons mistress had begun to go out, he changed his tactics to something more playful. Tenten would wake to his arms caressing her leg or the soft breathing she felt on the back of her neck. The Hyuga prodigy felt a sense of achievement when he had discovered a sensitive spot on her neck, just below her earlobe. Tenten had shot up instantly when his nose accidentally brushed against it.

Walking across to the bathroom, Neji smiled to himself, having peeked back into his bed to where Tenten had been snuggled under the covers. Hyuga quickly showered and combed out his hair. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he walked back into the room. He sat on the edge of the bed and reached under the covers, his fingers grazing against her foot. Tenten's face went from relaxed to confused. Neji have an amused grunt and grabbed her ankle. The brunette twisted her self around, causing Neji to let go of her ankle. The Hyuga moved up on the bed and hovered over her. He knew this would surely bother her. Tenten hates being stared at. The feeling of her boyfriend's eyes on her became irritating. At first she tried to ignore him, but the feeling was causing her neck to tingle and she could clearly picture the smirk on his face. Well at least it was better than kissing her soft spot.

Resist

Resist

Resi- Dammit...

Groaning she covered Neji's eyes with her hands and cracked her eyes open.

"Alright, alright! I'm up!"

Neji grabbed her wrists and hoisted her up. He lightly pecked her nose, watching as she scrunched up her face. It took Tenten a minute to process that she was now awake. The Hyuga was still holding her wrists when she snapped her head to the side, flipping her loose curly hair out of her face. He loved how she looked in the morning. Her hair was wild and the curls bounces everywhere as she moved about, adjusting that sports bra and those boxer shorts she slept in. Blinking once, she let out a small yawn, smacking her lips together. Neji continued to look at her lovingly as she tried to fight going back to sleep. Once he thought that she was a bit more awake, he lightly pressed his lips against hers, pulling her into an amorous hug.

"You should wake me up like this more often." She whispered once they broke the kiss.

"If I did, it wouldn't have the same effect every time." The prodigy replied.

Shrugging, Tenten's hands when to his towel. "Fine, I guess your right. But this towel is gonna have to go." She purred.

A smirk came to Neji's face. He never said waking up with her was a bad thing.


	2. Tutoring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember, if you have a topic or vignette theme you'd like to request, let me know! I am currently shifting work from Fanfiction.net to this site; so stay tuned for that.

Tutoring.

OOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooo

 

Tenten twirled the pencil in her hands. What did she do wrong? She studied all night long for the past three weeks but still didn't get a good enough grade to look forward to making the Dean's list. Her brother had offered her to help with her studies, but she had refused, like an idiot, and ended up with this disturbing score of a "C-" in her Advance Trigonometry class. It wasn't a failing grade, but she hated how that "C-" looked on her "B+" and "A" report card. Her brother would be alright with it, since he knew that she wanted to try and do it all herself like the big girl she is. Her parents would be okay with it too, since she didn't fail. Well, then again, this grade is on the lower end of the spectrum and could actually damage her grade point average which will make it harder for her to get permission to take classes that are specified in her major. No, she thought, this was not okay. To top it off, she had been warned about certain classes and professors by her best friend-to who she brushed off because she is quite stubborn-and is now too embarrassed to show off her test grade. 

"Crap...what would Neji think?!" Tenten mumbled to herself. She hated this even more now. He was a straight "A+" Dean's List student since their freshmen year and whenever Tenten got a "B" or higher she would show him her tests.

"About what?" A voice said from above.

The brunette looked up from her seat. Oh fabulous...Tenten frowned as she handed the mid term to her best friend. Neji's eyes scanned the page swiftly. He made no comment as he passed her back the papers and sat down next to her. Tenten sulked. It was humiliating...especially since her best friend was a top student. Neji leaned back and looked at her for a moment before speaking.

"Well, you didn't fail." He murmured.

"It will look bad if I get something similar on my final...I wanna make the Dean's List like you and Sasuke..." Tenten mumbled.

Neji let out a soft chuckle and put his hand in between her two panda ears. Standing, he offered to tutor her in math. Tenten instantly shook her head, which made Neji point out that if she would've accepted her brother's help when he had offered it she wouldn't be sitting here sulking. With her bottom lip protruding, she sighed and gave in. Fine; she'd rather have Neji tutor her than her brother anyway. 

At the end of the day, Neji waited by her last class. Girls giggles and glanced at him as they walked by. Being that he was very attractive since birth, he has attracted both genders through out his school career. It was in high school where he realized that he was practically King of the School. His grades were superior to the Uchiha's in everything and his stoic persona was widely known. He didn't have many friends in high school. He had met Rock Lee while in the Karate club back in his freshmen year. They were partnered up and had been talking ever since. Through Rock Lee, he met Tenten, captain of the Katana club and member of various sports teams. She was spunky, outgoing, and loved to prove him wrong.

Attractive.

Tenten walked out of her Theory of Astrology class and was grabbed by her waist. With a high pitched squeal, she wiggled out of Neji's embrace and blushed lightly.

"Seriously?!" She exclaimed, looking around at the stares of many female young adults.

"What? I can't hug my best friend in public?" The Hyuga smirked.

"Not like this you can't! And since when did you enjoy hugs?" Tenten grunted as she separated herself from him.

Neji let out a laugh and led his best friend off campus. They first went to their favorite cafe and got coffee before heading to the Hyuga's apartment. As they sat in Neji's car, Tenten went on about her day, wishing she had more free time to study or go out and actually get a life. Neji laughed at her complaining, for he too wished he had more time to go out and do something other than stare at books and a black board all day long. Just as they turned a corner, the bun head's phone rang.

"I'm heading to Neji's...no...n- What gave you that ide- Are you crazy!? It's not like that- Look, just tell mom and dad I'll be home late tonight...yes he's driving me...I said it's not like that, Shin! Good bye!" Tenten huffed as she pressed the 'end' button on her Galaxy rather aggressively.

Neji smirked as he too pulled out his phone. Tenten's older brother had sent him a text message. Pulling up to a red light, he unlocked his cellular device and nearly choked upon reading the message.

"Be safe you two." It said.

"Of course." Was the Hyuga's reply as he pressed the home button on his IPhone and locked it. Leave it to Shin-Ten to joke about how close Neji was to his little sister. The Hyuga supposed that her older brother was only half-joking...just like everyone else does whenever they are seen together.

Digging out his keys, Neji opened the door to his two family apartment. Tenten had always wondered why he got it this size. It really was just him and he wasn't one for throwing parties either; that was more of Naruto and Ino's thing. Taking off her shoes, Tenten trekked into her best friend's apartment and plopped herself on his couch. Neji emerged from the kitchen with a bag of chips and some juice bottles.

"I prefer sake. And I know for a fact that you have lots of it." Tenten pointed at him from the couch.

Neji laughed. Sitting down next to his best friend, he waved the juice bottle in front of her face. These two and sake is a party in itself. There was only one point in time where they both were drunk and were found in Ino's garage, half naked. Both of them really couldn't remember what had happen that night. They were at the mercy of whatever their friends had told them the following day at school. Granted, it was the Yamanaka girl who had found them, and was quite excited to tell them her discovery.

"But we don't even know if she was yanking our chain or not." Tenten exclaimed.

"I don't think Ino would lie about something like that." The Hyuga replied reaching for her book bag.

Tenten rolled her eyes. In the back of her mind she knew it actually happen since her older brother was at the party and told her too. He never really lied to her (about important things...which this counted as something important) which gave her some insight as to what actually happen when they were found. After begging him to not say anything to their parents, the two were pretty cautious at parties. Accidents were a thing, and both of them could not afford one right now.

"Alright, I've picked out a few problems for you to do. I wanna see how you calculate." Neji explained and handed her a Graphing Calculator.

After a good twelve minutes of pushing buttons into the calculator, chewing on her pencil eraser and mumbling to herself, the panda bun girl sighed. Handing the paper to Neji, she popped a chip into mouth and sat back. Ivory eyes scanned the paper as he hummed to himself. She was skipping steps...he observed. But the equation was fairly easy, however she is required to right everything down instead of just doing it mentally and writing down a bunch of numbers. Taking a red colored pencil, Neji began to mark up her paper. Handing it back, Tenten shot him a look.

"I got this many wrong?!"

"You need to write everything out. It helps you see exactly what you're doing."

"But I used the formula."

"You didn't even write it on the paper, Ten. How am I supposed to know if you're using the right formula?"

Tenten sucked her teeth. She did everything mentally, it wasn't her fault her parents insisted on a tutor who created her mind to be a machine...just not a good one... Taking out another sheet of paper, Neji came up with some questions of his own.

"Now," he said showing her the paper, " these questions require what formula?"

Tenten looked at the numbers.

"The Quadratic Formula." She stated.

"Good. Now, what is the quadratic formula?"

Tenten bit her lip. It was 'b' squared over two 'ab' minus...shit... Seeing her struggle, Neji poked her nose, clearing his throat.

"X equals negative B, plus or minus the square root, b squares minus four A C, all over two A." He sang.

Tenten blinked. He just sang her the Quadratic formula. Neji Hyuga just sang her the fucking Quadratic Formula to the tune of 'All around the mulberry bush'.

"Got it?" He asked.

"What the hell was that? Did you just sing math to me?"

Neji rolled his eyes.

"Just sing it to yourself a few times. The catchy tune will help you memorize it faster."

Tenten huffed but did it anyway. After the next seven times, she got it implanted in her head. Handing her the paper, Neji watched as she hummed it to herself, wrote down the formula and proceeded to answer the questions. If she took her time, then she'd definitely get the right answers; all she really needed to do was take her time and pay attention to what the question was asking her.

Bzzt.

Neji unlocked his phone and glanced at the message.

"How's it going?" It was Shin-Ten.

"Fine. I fixed the problem. She should be good for her final now." The Hyuga replied.

"What do you mean problem?"

Neji sucked his teeth. Right, Tenten didn't want to tell her brother.

"It's nothing really. I'm just refining her Math skills."

It was a moment before Shin-Ten replied. But it wasn't Neji's phone that buzzed, it was Tenten's.

"Hello?" She answered.

The older brother of Tenten requested to be put on speaker. Setting the phone on the coffee table, Tenten leaned back.

"So, Hyuga," Shin-Ten's voice sounded from the phone.

"Yes?" Neji replied.

"What was the grade of my dear sister's midterm?"

Tenten and Neji exchanged looks. Tenten bit her lip, not saying anything; So, the Hyuga took that as an okay to open his mouth.

"C minus." He announced.

Shin-Ten gave a low whistle. He repeated what the Hyuga had told her in regards to still being able to pass. The bun head groaned, not wanting to hear those same words from her own brother when she knew it was mostly her fault. She got it, she thought suppressing an eye roll. She needed to stop being stubborn and ask for help when she needed it.

"Seeing as though you two have work to do, Tennie will sleep over the weekend and continue to study with you until she takes that Final." Shin-Ten proclaimed.

Tenten held back a grunt. Sleep over? She hasn't slept over Neji's house in a good few months. However, the Hyuga had no arguments and accepted the terms. He promised to get Tenten at least a "B" on her final. Hanging up, Tenten sighed. She had no clothing with her, no toiletries, no hair ties. How was she supposed to stay over when she had nothing but her books? Standing, Neji made his way to his room and changed into a pair of sweats. In his arms he carried a pair of shorts and one of his t-shirts for his best friend. Tenten great fully took them and changed in the bathroom. Sitting back down on the couch, Tenten glanced once more at the questions that Neji came up with for her.

"Alright." She handed him her work.

Neji glanced over the paper. She got negative numbers on some questions, probably due to the fact that she had become aggravated and just ignored the equation all together. Others were correct, but she didn't write down some steps and to that he had to subtract points as if it were a real exam. Showing the work was a big point value when it comes to Math and science. Scribbling down some notes he handed the paper back to her. Tenten scrunched up her nose. Great, one point away from a solid "C".

"It'll take time Tenten," Neji said leaning back. "After all, your brother gave you permission to stay here and have me tutor you."

"Yeah-yeah..." The bun head mumbled.

Days went by and the pair had a set routine; Everyday after classes, Neji would pick Tenten up from her last class and they would leave together to his apartment. With that people began to talk. Tenten and Neji would hear whispers in class about her and her best friend sneaking off together. Or doing naughty things in broom closets or behind the school's court yard. Tenten would always notice the side glances and the pointing of others as they walked through campus. Neji, on the other hand, either ignored them or didn't see them at all, but it was usually the former.

"Seriously?! Behind the court yard?! What kind of bull is that?!" Tenten screeched as she sat with Neji and Sasuke at one of the lunch tables outside.

"I'll say. I have way more class than that to take you there." Neji replied casually.

"Exactly!"

Sasuke chuckled. Both he and the Hyuga knew that the rumors were escalating just do to the fact that Neji and Tenten were always seen together on campus. The Uchiha knew that the rumors didn't phase Neji, he was above all that. But Tenten, on the other hand, was a bit more sensitive to information such as this. What made it historical is that the two joked about it so casually that they just became comfortable with the whole situation.

"So, what have you two been doing then?" Sasuke asked eating his tomato salad.

"Trying to get me on the Dean's List and keeping my from plummeting to the depths of hell." Tenten replied picking up her chopsticks and opening her beef and broccoli.

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow and glanced at Neji, who elaborated the situation. The raven haired Uchiha shrugged, the Dean's List was just a way to keep track of the University's top students; who was excelling in their field and who just partied all night long while refusing to go to class. Tenten huffed,-of course Sasuke didn't give three shits, he and Neji were natural born geniuses...those bastards.

"Have you heard from Naruto?" Neji asked changing the subject.

Sasuke nodded. The blonde had taken his chance to study abroad in America. He was placed in New York City and sent the Uchiha many selfies next to land marks and statues.

"It's nice to see his acting has taken him to America." Tenten said.

Sasuke shrugged; It was a start. Neji checked his watch. Tenten's next class started soon, which was Advanced Trig. Offering her his hand, Neji pulled her up and grabbed their bags.

"Later, Sasuke!" Tenten smiled at him before turning and walking towards the Math building.

"Hyuga, I suggest the showers in the locker room for next time! Less clean up!" The Uchiha called out to Neji.

Tenten's face beamed red and Neji chuckled. Turning around, the Hyuga presented his perfectly manicured middle figure to the Uchiha, grinning and turning back round.

"Love you too, man!" Sasuke smirked as he finished his lunch and headed to the Library.

 

 

"I want a break!" Tenten exclaimed sprawling out on the couch.

Neji nodded and went to the kitchen to make some food. Another long day... A girl came up to Tenten and picked a fight with her. It took Neji and Sasuke to hold her back from breaking the metal pole from her desk and bashing in the girls head. Who would've thought such drama over a guy would be brought to college. That kind of stuff should stay in high school really.

"Hey, Neji."

"Yeah?"

"Is it true that you're amazing at sex?"

Neji froze and cocked an eyebrow. He wasn't sure how to answer that random question. Tenten shrugged and told him that another girl came up to her and asked her if he was. Tenten felt a little bad that she couldn't answer her since the girl seemed actually curious since the rumors were circulating. At this, the Hyuga cocked an eyebrow at her. What did she mean that she felt bad? 

"I don't know. You tell me?" He replied. Putting down the bowl of popcorn.

"Oh please, I was so drunk that night you think I remember what happen?" Tenten huffed.-

Scratching the back of his neck. Neji sat down next to her. Tenten rested her head on his lap and looked up at him.

"I have to say I'm curious too. Since you're supposedly the father of every girl's baby in the University."

Neji scoffed. He would never, Tenten knew that. She laughed at his serious expression and told him she was only joking. Neji sighed and looked down at her.

"Well, would you like to find out?"

Tenten blinked.

Wait-what?

"Will it tame your curiosity?" He continued.

Tenten had no words. She just looked at him in shock. He was actually offering to have sex with her to settle that question. Her face turned red at the thought of having sex, sober no less, with Neji. This time she'd remember it, she thought. But with this, she can have bragging rights that one; Gorgeous Neji Hyuga was her best friend. And Two: they had sober sex. The quality of it was to be announced.

"Uh..."

Smirking, the Hyuga lifted her up and brought her to his room. Tenten squirmed as he gently laid her down on his bed and began to kiss her. She couldn't remember the last time they kissed, probably because she was pissed drunk. Tenten jumped when his hands managed to sneak under her shirt, and behind her back to her bra strap. Oh boy, she thought.

"Sit up a bit," he whispered.

And so she did. His fingers managed to unclasp the clips. Tenten held her breath. They were seriously doing this? Seriously? They were DOING THIS! The bun head could seriously never imagine a day in her life that she would be doing this with him. What shocked her the most is that he knew exactly what he was doing. What the hell? She thought. He hasn't slept with anyone! At least none that she knew of. He also had a thing for his cousin Hinata, but he'd never since she was with Naruto. But if he got the chance he would, she knew. Hinata, however, only loved him as a brother. She knew he was a bit heartbroken when Hinata announced that she was dating the blonde. But he got over it pretty quickly. As long as she was happy were his thoughts.

"Eep!" Tenten squealed as his lips brushed passed her navel.

Neji looked up curiously. She was blushing like crazy, and looked adorable. He didn't dare smirk. She'd kill him if he did. Softly he told her to lift up her arms so he could take off her shirt. Looking away, Tenten did. Neji lifted the garment over her head, the loose bra dangling from its straps. Neji froze. Oh, he thought. He never really got a a good look at breasts of any kind of he wasn't in one of his anatomy classes back in high school. This will be his first time seeing breasts...his best friend's breasts no less... So casually. Tenten watched him as he leaned in and slowly slipped down the piece of lingerie from her bosom.

Oh.

Tenten's hands shot straight to his eyes after a good second.

"N-Neji!"

Oh.

Gulping, Neji removed her hands from his eyes. So this is what breasts look like on a real girl. He thought. Totally not awkward, cause it's just Tenten...

Right...?

Neji reached over and placed his hand on one of them. She had to be a C cup. Neji admitted, he always wondered her bra size since she wore baggy clothing all the time. But this was a nice surprise. Tenten noticed Neji's eyes go wide once he touched her.

"Erm... What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing... It's just...I never expected you to be...so-"

"I'm not that large. Like a C." Tenten murmured.

Oh, nailed it. Neji thought to himself. Slowly, he kissed her collar bone and rubbed his thumb against her nipple. Tenten muffled a moan. Ok, she thought. How the fuck does he know how to do this stuff?! Once he heard her sound, he stopped.

"Uh, sorry...I thought-"

"No no no...it's fine...perfectly fine!" She said in a high pitch covering her beet red face.

Neji sweat dropped but nodded. He couldn't read her like this. He was just doing what the romance novels suggest. He hoped that he wasn't hurting her... Leaning in, he kissed the inner part of her chest. Kami she smelled amazing. It was this scent...like a girlie scent. Tenten bit her lip. This is totally awkward, she thought. He was feeling her up! and they weren't even drunk! Tenten sat up fully suddenly. Enough was enough. Neji was taken aback. He looked at her questionable. Pushing him down, she smashed their lips together and began to unbutton his shirt. There was no way in hell she would be the only one naked during this session. Neji was shocked indeed. He knew she was an aggressive person, but even in bed? He thought, he needed to get back in control. Shrugging off his shirt when she finally unbuttoned it, he buried his face into her chest, causing her to arch her back, her body pressing against his. Oh that made him excited. He lightly trailed his fingers down her stomach to her belt. But Tenten was already trying to unbuckle his, that damn Rubrics Cube... That's when he found it. The sensitive spot on her collar bone. The bun head had gasped. Neji let out a smirk. Oh yes. After undoing her belt and unbuttoning the top of her pants he looked at her.

"Ready?" He asked softly, his own face growing a shade of deep red.

"Yeah." Was the reply.

And off went the pants.

 

 

"Holy shit." Tenten panted as she laid on his bed under his covers.

Neji let out a sigh, holy shit indeed.

"That was way better sober." Neji commented running a hand through his hair.

"I'll say!"

They both let out a laugh. After a moment they had settled in a slightly tense silence. What did this mean? They didn't know. It was obvious their feeling for each other. Did they want to commit to that now?

"You know,"

"Hm?" He looked at her.

"If I get pregnant, my father will kill you." Tenten said.

"Hn." He grunted.

Tenten hit him with a pillow. He smiled softly. If they were to think about it, they were kind of like a married couple, Tenten pointed out. Neji questioned her. They've been at each other's side since high school;

"I've put up with your shit and you put up with mine," she said. "And we both baby sit Lee...kind of."

Neji laughed. Of course, he thought. Turning on his side he looked at the clock. So much for studying...he needed to take her home soon. Tenten rolled out of bed and pranced to the bathroom. A few moments later, she emerged dressed in sweats and one of his T-Shirts. It was Neji's turn to shower. Tenten waited on his couch cross legged as she packed her bag. Her mind was a bit scrambled...she just had sober sex with her best friend instead of studying for her final. How did they even get to that point in the first place? Whatever, she shrugged to herself, it is what it is.

"Ready?" Neji asked walking up to her fully dressed in jeans and a long sleeved shirt.

Nodding she stood and grabbed her sweater from the coat hanger. They were silent in the car. Awkward, they sighed. But was it really? Stopping in front of her house, Neji looked over at her.

"Well?" He asked.

"Well, what?"

"Am I something to brag about?"

Tenten smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, Hyuga." She replied playfully.

"I take that as a yes." Neji said smirking.

Before she was able to climb out of his expensive automobile, the genius grabbed her wrist and pulled her in for a kiss. Releasing her, he looked her dead in the face.

"Same time tomorrow?"

Tenten blinked.

"You better get me at least a B."

"Of course," he smirked. "Have I ever let you down?"

Tenten sucked her teeth. No...he has never let her down... Winking at him, she walked to her door. After pulling out her keys, she flashed him a smile before disappearing behind her door.

"Heh." Neji sighed to himself as he drove back home.

 

 

"Neji!"

Neji looked up from his book. Tenten was sprinting up to him, a smile on her face. He wasn't expecting her to jump on him, but when she did, he was trampled into the ground and embraced tightly.

"Tenten? What is it?" Neji coughed as she rolled off of him.

The bun head shoved a packet of papers into his face. I'm bold bred marker, there showed a 'B+'. Neji smiled. She was indeed proud of herself, he noted. Tenten was grinning widely as he have her a thumbs up. He knew she could do it. Still straddling him, she grabbed his face and kissed him fiercely.

"I fucking love you, Neji!" She exclaimed. "You're the best!"

Neji blinked, processing what she just said. It was because of the grade, he thought. 

"I love you too, Tenten."


	3. Strip for

It was at one of Ino's annual get-togethers that he had learned a few of his weaknesses. The first, being that when it came to games that were based on pure luck, he was terrible at them. Another, being that for some reason the universe hated him so much that day that he was ready to flip a table. The group sat in a circle on the floor, some laying on their backs while the others glared intensely over their hand. This game was rigged, he thought. There was no way he could be losing this badly. He wasn't the only one, at least. The Uchiha was in his under shirt and jeans, having given up five articles of clothing, including his sweater. Ino herself was sitting proudly in her bra and shorts as well, unfazed that she was the only one in her underwear. In fact, she had no problem with how the odds her against her. 

"All right. I'm pulling in three for three!" Tenten exclaimed.

Naruto replaced the three cards she placed on the floor with three new ones.

"Anyone else?"

Sasuke traded in his whole hand for a new one, while every else shook their heads. Glancing at each other from the top of their hands, they furrowed there brows. Time to sacrifice. Sasuke took off his under shirt, his abs shined and toned. Ino took off her shorts, her blue panties now presented upon her hips. Naruto gave in his pants and two socks, feeling confident. Hinata took off her shirt, her extra support bra now visible. Tenten removed her bra from under her shirt, glancing at Neji. She was teasing him, he noticed. Sucking his teeth, Neji put in his head band, not risking loosing his pants. Shikamaru folded. Sakura put in her hair ribbons. Looking at each other, one , two, three-

"DRAW!" They exclaimed.

It was Tenten who sat victorious with a Royal flush. Smirking, she threw her cards back in and waited for her new hand. The others in the circle groaned as they too tossed in their cards. Her gambling abilities were superior to theirs, the Hyuga noted. Neji wondered if it was all luck or if she knew how to play due to experience. 

"Eat that, losers!" The bun head exclaimed claiming the pile of clothing.

Shikamaru glanced over at her pile, they were about the same in the amount of clothing. Taking a swig of his beer, he tossed in his cards and waited for the rest to be handed out.

"Too bad Sai couldn't come..." Ino sighed.

"Wasn't it because he had is Japanese Art final?" Sakura asked smoothing down her hair.

Ino nodded. Her boyfriend was very focused on school since he was a bout three credits away from graduating college. Good for him though; Sai would bee the first of their group to graduate.

"The troublesome woman is out with her brothers...Gaara is looking for an apartment in Suna City." Shikamaru murmured.

"How nice. They should just move to Konoha here since they're always here." Tenten said picking up her new hand that Naruto just threw to her.

"That would be cool. Mr. Almost CEO needs to hang out once in a while." Naruto agreed taking a gulp of is beer.

Neji and Sasuke shrugged. They had no input of what to say.

"We should have a little party and invite them soon then." Hinata suggested.

Everyone agreed. Neji glanced down at his hand. Ok, he thought, three of a kind... Not too bad. He glanced over at the others. Naruto wasn't looking to happy with his hand. Sasuke was glaring at the cards...Shikamaru had only glanced once and put his cards down, waiting for the rest of them. Ino was smirking and Sakura grimaced. Neji figured he probably had a chance. Then Hinata gave a small squeak. She had a look of worry on her face. Neji was now smirking to himself behind his cards. His lavender eyes went to the bun head. She had a solid face, no emotion at all. Damn she was good, he thought. He really wanted to see what was under that shirt, though...

"Anyone?" Naruto called.

Neji removed two cards from his hand, keeping his three of a kind. Sasuke folded. Sakura turned in her whole hand, but didn't fold; Naruto handed her a new set of cards. Ino sat still, as did Shikamaru. Hinata gave in four cards and Naruto folded as well. Tenten didn't move. And so they all put in. Shikamaru removed his hair tie, and threw it to the middle. As did Neji. His hair cascaded down and spread around his shoulders and reaching the bottom of his shoulder-blades, while Shikamaru's stopped at his shoulders. Ino's hair became loose as she there's the rubber bands into the middle. Hinata decided to fold. Tenten stood. They all eyes her as she slowly leaned forward in the Hyuga's direction and slowly slid off her spandex shorts.

"Holy shit. Tenten, I didn't know you wore thongs!" Sakura exclaimed.

"But that's a cute one. Green is definitely one for your colors, Tenten." Ino said moving closer to observe the piece of lingerie.

Hinata agreed. Indeed it was cute. I was lined with frilly lace and showcased a bow on the front. and back where the elastic material met, just above her crack.

Neji gulped as he quickly glanced at the bun head as she tossed her shorts to the middle of the circle and sat back down. She was going to drive him insane. Thank God he still had his pants on...

"Alright, Hit it!"

Yes, Neji thought. His three of a kind was enough to save him for sure. Naruto had just lost his pants to Shikamaru. Re-dealing the cards, Shikamaru leaned in and tapped Tenten on the knee. She looked at him curiously.

"You're poker skills are surprisingly great. I'm curious as to how you managed to keep yourself calm." He said.

Tenten smiled. During her down time, she would hang out with her brother and his friends. She learned all kinds of tricks to stay alive in this game. She even knew how to cheat. But since it wasn't in her nature to do so, she's been playing cautious, like a good gambler should. The Nara kid let out a laugh-Of course, he thought.

"You're gonna drive him crazy." The lazy teen whispered.

"I know. But it's not everyday I get to beat him at something." Tenten replied.

"You also don't wear thongs, Tenten."

"Well, well. Looks like my best friend hasn't failed me yet." She winked at him.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and smirked. Tenten took a swig of her beer as she picked up her cards. Decent, she thought. Everyone else seemed to be alright as well. She noticed that Neji had kept a straight face this whole time. Maybe if he went against his principles and cheated for once, he could trick the universe into giving him good luck. There was a plan that Neji and Sasuke had came up with in situations such as this. All it took was for one of them to initiate the intimidation process. Neji glanced at the Uchiha. The raven haired teen's nostrils flared as he peeked over at the Hyuga's hand. Neji's pinki rose upward as he too peaker at his friend's hand. Nodding, the Uchiha turned to the rest of them. 

"Double or nothing." Sasuke announced.

Hinata instantly folded. Ino pulled off her panties and threw them into the middle along with a bracelet. Shikamaru threw in his under shirt and belt. Sasuke took off his pants and socks. The pinkette folded. Naruto sat naked. Neji pulled of his belt and pants, looking at Tenten straight in the face as he did so. He was challenging her, she grimaced. The first facial expression she held the whole game. Due to the Hyuga's rotten luck, she still figured that she had some type if chance. Even of she didn't get it, Shikamaru definitely would. Pulling out her hair ties, Tenten threw those into the middle.

"Double or nothing, Ten." Sasuke smirked.

Huffing, Tenten pulled off her shirt. The first pair of bare breasts shown in the game. Neji smirked behind his cards as he looked at her. Revenge was oh-so sweet. He remembered the last time they played like this. He had lost, of course, with Ino. They both had to jump into the blonde's pool, completely naked as punishment. Not today, Neji thought.

"Punishment?" Ino asked.

"Do the pool again?" Sakura suggested.

They shook their head. Nah, too easy. Plus Ino's pool was heated. Naruto raised his hand.

"How about pool, plus a lap dance to the winner of this round."

Neji choked. They all looked at him. Shaking his head they all laughed, expecting him to be the one to do it to Tenten.

"Alright. All in agreement?"

"Yep."

"DRAW."

Everyone gasped. Tenten looked down at her cards in disbelief. Neji had beat her with four aces. They all looked between Neji and Tenten. The Nara kid flicked the string on her thong, in order to get her attention. She snapped her head to him.

"Should've cheated." He murmured.

Tenten scoffed. She stood and glared down at Neji. Now at his mercy, she walked out side and dipped herself in Ino's pool. Thank god it was heated, she thought. Returning, Ino handed her a towel. Neji was sitting on the couch, leaning back with a smirk tattooed onto his face. Oh yeah, he thought. Ino picked up a remote and pressed the green play button.

Of course, Tenten though. A lap dance wouldn't be complete with out stripping music. Neji gestured for her to come over to him. Drying herself off, she slumped over to him and mounted his lap, still wearing her green thong. Moving her hips to the music, she began to grind down and whine her was back up.

"You know you'd make a great stripper, Ten." Naruto commented as he watched.

"I agree." Sasuke nodded.

Tenten rolled her eyes as Neji hoisted her up more into his lap. Her flexibility was killer, he thought. He couldn't help but put his hands on her hips, his fingers playing with the strings of her thong. Leaning in, Tenten pressed her lips to his ear.

"I will kill you if you do it." She hissed.

Neji replied with a playful pinch on her buttocks. Her bosom was so close to his face that if he wanted to, he could just press his face into her. However, since he was a gentlemen, he didn't.

"Now now, Tenten. I would never do that to you...while the others are here."

Tenten pushed her hips against his and Neji resisted the need to buck his hips forward. No, no, no. No. Just no. Not now. Not yet. No.

No.

Neji grunted. Shit, she was driving him crazy. Tenten dismounted him finally and flipped her brown hair out of her face.

"I want one!" Naruto called to her.

"Idiot," Sasuke smirked, wrapping his arms around Tenten's bare form.

"I have a few tens in my wallet." He said.

Tenten laughed and pushed the Uchiha away.

"Let's call it a night guys." Sakura suggested.

Tenten got dressed quickly. Saying goodbye, Neji led her out to his car and opened the door for her. He drove slowly, since it was the dead of night and really it was just to procrastinate his time with her. Coming up onto her block, he made a left instead of a right. The bun head looked at him curiously as he stopped the car and covered his face with his hands, breathing out.

"Neji?" Tenten asked.

The Hyuga pulled her to the back seat of his car. He straddled her and pressed his lips against hers. She had been teasing him all day at the hang out. That nearly named lap dance was just the icing on the cake. Tenten pulled away and realized how heated he was. She reached up and kissed him again, their tongues dancing with each other. Pulling away, Neji lifted her shirt and stared her dead in the face.

"Strip for me."


	4. The Hua Family I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's a lil something about Tenten's family I made up.

It was back when they were gennin when Neji had first been to Tenten's house. It was Lee, Gai-sensei, and himself that approached Tenten about her being very sickly the last few days. Gai had forced Tenten into bed rest until she was back to full health. Luckily, Team Gai wasn't sent on any missions for the past few weeks due to the Rookies. But it bothered Neji that he didn't have anyone to train with. By suggestion of Lee, the three shinobi decided to take a trip to check on her.

Xiao-Lin was a petite woman with long curly hair that reached her waist and has golden eyes. It then where Neji saw when Tenten got her looks from. Her mother was gorgeous and with that beauty came incredible kindness. She had welcomed them intro her home warmly. Xiao-Lin was not from Konoha, in fact, she had lived in the Land of Rivers for most of her life before getting married. The foreign woman made sure that the boys were fed and taken care of whenever they came over.

Neji was the first one Xiao-Lin took liking to. He was a proper young man who had respect for the elder. On top of that, he was good looking and kept a calm composure. He would always respond to Xiao-Lin when spoken to, and never rejected a snack or tea out of respect. Also, he never pushed on the subject of his female teammate unless she was brought up in conversation; which was very often.

Whenever Tenten was home, he would visit her wanting to go train or just required her company. It was a common thing; He would show up to the Hua house at a reasonable hour (around brunch) and was greeted by Tenten's mother. She would pull him in, serving him tea and fruit. Her father would look at him and wait to be acknowledged by the Hyuga boy before starting a conversation with him. Neji always greeted Fei-Ten with a deep bow and a "nice to see you, Hua-sama" before being pushed down on the couch by Xiao-Lin. He felt at home with the Huas. Her father was an ANBU captain at the time, and was only sent on specialty missions that lasted weeks...sometimes months at a time. The Hyuga guessed that Xiao-Lin enjoyed the company of Team Gai, since her husband was working and Tenten was always in the back field, playing with her weapons. It wasn't that the Huas didn't like Gai-sensei or Rock Lee; it was that Neji was very calm and composed. The two green beasts had so much energy that Xiao-Lin couldn't keep up and her husband had no desire to hold a conversation with them unless it was about work or his daughter.

This went on for years. The Hyuga would show up once every other day or week (depending on if he was on a mission or not) and spend time with Tenten. If Lee and Gai weren't around, Neji would take her out to eat or back to his house where his mother would fawn over her, loving the idea of her son having a close female friend who also trained with him. Tenten was delightful according to the Hyugas. Neji took great pride in having her with him either in the main house or the branch house.

It was one day when he showed up to Tenten's house on one of their days off, a month before they would take the Chunnin exam for a second time. She was laying on the grass in the back field wearing a navy blue top and white sweat pants, sixteen years old and ready to take on the rank as a Chunnin. Neji sat down in the grass next her and asked why she was laying outside. It was nice day, she replied. She had finished polishing her weapons earlier that day and had a mini target practice. Her father was away on a mission, as well as her older brother. Her brother was always away on a missions since he became ANBU at nineteen. This mission, however, was his first S-ranked ANBU mission and would be away for about a year. The Hyuga nodded. Neji would hear of him from her parents, and has seen pictures of him throughout the Hua house, but he has never formally met him. Tenten sat up and asked what was on his mind. He looked at her for a good moment before leaning in and softly planting his lips against hers. This shocked the both of them, but neither of them pulled away. They just sat there, lips locked for the moment. It was when Tenten pulled away that Neji realized what he had done. He watched her face for a reaction. She smiled at him, asking what took him so long to do that. As they walked back into the house, Xiao-Lin had kissed Neji on the cheek, having seen him make his move on her daughter. The Hyuga boy blushed a bit, and offered a small smile. Tenten's mother then announced for him to sleep over whenever he liked. They had the room since her eldest son was away, and it would be no trouble at all.

The two were inseparable. They continued to train together, and go on missions together. It was the night after she had won against a grass ninja in the final round that made him want to sleep over her house once they returned from Sungakure (where the Chunnin exams were taken place that year). Xiao-Lin was ecstatic to hear the news that team Gai was officially a Chunnin cell. Neji laid in Tenten's bed, topless and in grey sweats looking up at the ceiling. The bun head laid on his chest, asking what was on his mind. The Jonnin exams were in a two months and he was thinking about registering for them. Tenten pumped her fists in the air, fully confident that he would pass the exams no problem.

When the day of the exams came, Tenten and Lee had arrived at Neji's house in time to walk him to the Hokage's mansion to sign in. Neji's mother wished him luck with a hug and kiss to the cheek. Neji walked with Tenten on his arm, his fingers enlaced with hers. He was tense, the weapons mistress noted as they walked. She rested a cheek on his bicep and told him that he will pass it no problem. Before entering the Hokage mansion, Neji looked to his teammates. Rock Lee gave him a thumb up and told him to embrace his youth. Neji let out a chuckle, and looked to his girlfriend. Tenten embraced him, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek. She spoke to him quietly before letting go and returning to her spot next to Lee. The bowl cut teen noticed that Tenten was worried, and gently took her hand into his, flashing a smile. He'll do fine, he assured her. Tenten nodded and watched as Neji turned his back to them and walked into he Hokage's mansion. A smile was ghosted on his face as he recalled the words that his girlfriend whispered to him. It wasn't words of luck, he didn't need it, she knew. He didn't believe in luck. Instead she encouraged him the best way she knew how to;

"Go kick some ass."

Neji was given his Jonnin vest the next day. When he announced it to his teammates early in the morning, he was instantly tackled by them. Tenten suggested that he slept over, to celebrate. When he arrived, Xiao-Lin asked him about the exam as he was walking through the door. Excitedly, Tenten told her mother that Neji was now officially a Jonnin. Tenten's mother kissed his cheek and congratulated him. After being fed lunch, Neji and Tenten were sprawled across Tenten's bed staring at the ceiling. The Hyuga was telling her about his exam. And he did indeed, kick some ass. Tenten leaned over and kissed him, obviously proud to have such a smart and strong boyfriend. She looked at him with an expression he couldn't recognize for a moment. Sitting up, he kissed her tenderly. The look was still there, and it intensified. Before he knew it, she was straddling him, their tongues dancing and she ran a hand through his hair. His fingers found their way to her shirt, undoing the clasps that held the fabric together. He brought his lips along her jaw, down her neck, and across her collar bone. She let out a sigh as he gently grabbed her waist, pushing her hips against his. Tenten undid his top, her hands running across his toned chest. Shrugging off the shirt Neji craned his neck to kiss her when the door suddenly opened. The two teens snapped their heads toward her door. Standing in the door way was Fei-Ten, who had just returned from a mission in Kirigakure. The teens remained silent, their eyes wide and staring at Tenten's father as he looked between the Hyuga and his daughter. Clearing his throat after a while, he told them to get dressed and come downstairs; they were going to have a talk.

With their faces beet red, the teens sat on the couch, opposite Fei-Ten. He demanded no explanation; however, he did demanded a reason why he wasn't informed that the Hyuga has romantic relations with his daughter. Tenten was the first to say that she was going to tell him, but whenever she tried to talk to him, he was tired, or busy. Then it came to the point where it completely slipped her mind. Xiao-Lin patted her husband's shoulder, reminding him that something similar happen to them back when they were their age. Except, Tenten's grandparents found out when she had become pregnant with their son. Fei-Ten looked from his wife to the two teens. She had a point, he sighed. Tenten looked at her father nervously, unsure of what he would say next. Neji had his lips pursed in a thin line. He himself was still trying to process what happen. His body was heated when she was on him, kissing him like that. And that look on her face...he couldn't help himself. Standing, Fei-Ten looked at them. He told his daughter to be aware of the consequences of having sex at a young age and not being careful. He then turned to Neji, and with a serious face told him if anything were to come up, he would be taking full responsibility for his actions; no if, ands, or, buts, about it. The Hyuga nodded, he would take full responsibility anyway if something were to happen.

After that, Tenten wouldn't be able to face her father for a good few days. Part of it is because he had walked in on them half naked, in her bed. Another part was the fact that they were half naked, in her bed. Neji grabbed her hand as they walked to his house. Indeed, he agreed that it was embarrassing. He was lucky that her father thought highly of him, if not he sure as he would have been dead. Neji opened the door and led her inside. It was quiet, she noticed. The kitchen was cleaned and there were no dishes in the sink. Neji explained that his mother wasn't home. She was visiting his aunt in one of the smaller villages outside of Konoha. Tenten nodded in response as he led her to his room. She sighed as she sat on his bed. He leaned over and kissed her. He undid her buns and leaned her back, pressing his body against hers. There was no way he was going to let this opportunity pass. It was when Neji unbuttoned her maroon pants when Fei-Ten's words rang in his ears. It was up to him not to slip up. But it's not like he wouldn't take responsibility if anything were to happen. Tenten put a hand on his cheek, having notice his concerned face. He looked down at her; she gave him a small smile. She knew it too; he wouldn't dare to not take responsibility if anything were to happen. Even so, that risk was too high, and he didn't want to jeopardize Tenten's career because he slipped up. Conflicted, Neji rolled off of his girlfriend and put his face in his hands. Tenten watched him in surprise as he became deep in thought. She honestly thought that they were going to get it on tonight since no body was home. Crawling over to him, she put a warm hand on his shoulder and leaned her lips to his ear. She could wait. Waiting might be their best option. They have been dating for less than a year anyway, and if he wasn't completely confident, she would wait. Neji looked at her in disbelief but the smile that Tenten flashed at him told him she meant every word. He kissed her sweetly before thanking her for understanding. That's what he liked about her; she knew his limits and thought process. She can find ways to comprehend and make judgments based on what he thinks; being beneficial for the both of them. But with this, she put aside her own wants and thought fully of him. Besides, Tenten wasn't the type of person to force; she encouraged.

Lying down with the bun head in his arms, Neji kissed her forehead and whispered three new words to her as she fell asleep. Through her drowsy daze, Tenten smiled and returned the new phrase, knowing that he meant it. And that it would last a life time.


	5. Big Brother Hua (II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of "The Hua Family"

"Tenten?"

The bun head shot up from her bed. Glancing at her clock, she frowned. She wanted to get as much sleep as possible since today was supposed to be a wonderful day for her. Laying back down she closed her eyes. 

"Tenten." The voice called again.

"Yes, mom?" she groaned.

The door opened and Tenten's mother stepped through. Xiao-Lin had her long brown curls tied up into a neat bun. Walking over to her daughter's bed, she placed a pile of clothing at the edge of it. Tenten sat up and blew a piece of her bangs from her face. There wa sno way she was going to be able to go back to sleep now.

" I thought I could sleep some more..." She grumbled.

Xiao-Lin smiled at her seventeen year old daughter.

"Tennie, you do remember what today is right?"

Tenten nodded and smiled.

"Your brother returns fro-"

"Neji and I's first year Anna-"

The two women looked at each other. Tenten's eyes widened. Shit, she had forgotten that her brother was coming home today from his first ANBU mission. At the same time, today marks one year with her Hyuga boyfriend and he wanted to spend the day with her. Groaning, Tenten looked at her mother.

"What should I do? I want to hang out with Shin, I really do, but Neji-"

"Then, take Shin with you." a deep voice stated.

The two women looked to the door. Fei-Ten looked at his daughter with a calm expression. Having met the Hyuga boy himself, Fei-Ten was pretty lenient about his daughter's interactions with him. Neji had made a nice first impression when he was introduced to the boy. Plus, having the name "Hyuga" attatched to him was a strong indication that he was brought up to be a gentlemen. Tenten looked at him in shock.

"Daddy, I don't think-"

Fei-Ten raised his hand to stop her from objecting. He stated that her brother hasn't formally met the Hyuga before and that this will be a good opportunity to get the Hyuga acquainted with the person would one day kill him. Xiao-Lin laughed once she witnessed her daughter's eye roll.

"He comes a bit before lunch time," her father continued. "With that, Hyuga can be evaluated by Shin-"

"Evaluated?! Daddy, what are you even saying?" Tenten exclaimed looking at her father in frustration.

Xiao-Lin walked over to her husband and kissed his cheek. It's only right for the older brother to approve of his little sister's boyfriend. Tenten gave an exasperated whine and dragged herself to the bathroom, mumbling under her breath on how unfair and ridiculous her situation was. 

"This should be interesting." Xiao-Lin said to her husband.

Fei-Ten nodded and gave a small smirk. He knew his son wouldn't let him down.

Tenten's older brother arrived before the time expected. He was greeted warmly by Xiao-Lin with a kiss, and being fussed over for injuries. Fei-Ten patted his eldest child on the shoulder and gave a smile. Dragging him into the living room, Xiao-Lin ordered him to go upstairs and freshen up before the by could tell his parents about his recent adventure.

"Alright, mom. But what's the rush? And where's Ten?" He asked.

Fei-Ten cleared his throat.

"You will be chaperoning Tenten on a date."

The ANBU blinked. His sister? On a date?

"Who's the kid?" He asked.

"He's a Hyuga. They're known for being punctual, so hurry up. He'll be here in about ten minutes." His father said.

Nodding, the young ANBU went upstairs. Upon passing his sister's room, he called to her. Tenten ran out of her room with a towel around her and jumped on him. She beamed as he laughed and kissed her cheek. She missed him, and was worried about him. They both got dressed quickly and laughed when they saw that they wore matching colors. Tenten wore the dress that her mother had laid on her bed earlier that morning while her brother wore black pants with a Chinese dress shirt. There was a knock on the door. The four people in the room looked at each other seeing who would stand first to greet the Hyuga boy. Fei-Ten stood and walked over to the door. He was bowed to by the Hyuga boy, and allowed him to enter. Tenten shot up and walked over to her boyfriend.

"You look great." He said handing her a bundle of Lilies.

Just before Tenten could respond, her older brother appeared next to her.

"You think so? I think the colors are clashing." He said.

Tenten groaned and looked at Neji apologetically. The Hyuga cocked an eyebrow at the older teen. He was a few years older than he and could be of higher rank. His muscle tone showed a remarkable amount of strength, similar to Fei-Ten's build. He also noted the similarities in the facial feat-

OH.

"The name's Shin-Ten," the older sibling held a smirk at the Hyuga's shock. "It's nice to finally meet you, Hyuga Neji."

Neji blinked but bowed. Shit, he thought. The Hyuga knew exactly where this was going...

"Be nice, Shin. Neji-kun is a very nice young man." Xiao-Lin called from her seat on the couch.

"Yes, mom. What time do you want us to return?"

Xiao-Lin looked at her husband.

"Your Aunt and cousin should be arriving around nine. So, a bit before then." Fei-Ten said.

"Oh, and Hyuga."

Neji nodded at Tenten's father.

"You will be joining us for dinner."

Neji pursed his lips together. That wasn't a question.

"Yes, Hua-sama." He replied.

"Get going you three!" Xiao-Lin exclaimed.

The Hua siblings waved to their parents while Neji bowed. He noted just as he turned to the door, a smirk formed on Fei-Ten's face.

He was so screwed.

"So, Ten, been on any good jobs while I've been gone this year?" Shin-Ten asked as they walked down the streets.

Tenten shrugged the usual missions were given to her. Her specialty gave her the upper hand in being put on any mission there was. But, upon running errands for the Hokage she managed to pick up a few new weapons that she was waiting for him to return to try out. Shin nodded and smiled down at his sister. Tenten then asked him about his mission. Shin grinned and shook his head, causing Tenten to pout. That was a story for dinner. Tenten huffed, receiving a pat on the head from her older brother.

"Hyuga-kun. You've been silent. Tell me about yourself." Shin said.

Neji looked over at him. Besides for the obvious, he was a Jonnin. The Hyuga had remained on Team Gai because he felt that being a solo Jonnin wouldn't be beneficial. Shin nodded.

"Wait, how old are you?" Shin asked.

"I am seventeen, Hua-san."

"Have you been sent on any of 'those' missions yet?"

Tenten was confused, but Neji knew exactly what he meant. The Hyuga shook his head. He told the Hokage that if there absolutely no one else to take those missions, then he will go. The age requirement to send shinobi on seduction missions was seventeen, and the ninja had to be of Jonnin rank.

"I see. So, you and Tenten are the same age then."

"Tenten is actually older than me by four months." Neji replied.

"You and I share the same birthday month, then." Shin commented, side glancing at the Hyuga.

Neji gave an awkward nod. So far, her older brother seemed to be alright. But there was this rock in his stomach that told him that the worst was yet to come. The trio walked to the movie theater. Shin-Ten was receiving a lot of attention. Neji was as well. Tenten watched the two boys as they interacted toward the amount of girls ogling over them. Neji paid them no mind, and actually reached for her, since she was a few steps behind them. Shin, on the other hand, offered the fan girls a smile that received a lot "ahh"s. Taking out his wallet, Neji was about to pay, when Shin slapped the money down for all three of them.

"It's my treat." The Hua boy said.

Neji looked at him for a moment before replacing the money in his wallet and leading Tenten into the theater. As expected, Shin sat in between Neji and Tenten. Glancing over at Neji, Tenten noticed the slightly annoyed look on his face and smiled. Admittedly, she was getting a kick out of this. Tenten attached herself to her brother and leaned her cheek against his bicep. Neji side glanced at her. She always did that when they went to the movies. Tenten always felt the need to attach herself to him whenever they had movie dates, or just went to the movies with their friends. And it was always him because he would make it a point to squeez past Lee or Shikamaru to sit next to her.

"The previews take forever, so what have you been up to besides missions?" Shin said looking down at his sister.

Training, sleeping, training, and more training. The bun head shrugged. She told him that she had been training with Neji for the past few years since the Chunnin exams. Shin glanced over at the Hyuga. Neji's pretty hard to beat. She had landed in the hospital a few times when they first started, but she's gotten better at dodging his strikes. But Neji still was able to inflict some damage on her in some ways. She has yet to beat him, but she thinks she's getting close since her speed and agility had show impressive development.

"Have you..." Shin murmured.

Neji's lips pursed together. His girlfriend was giving Shin the wrong idea. Sure she's been in the hospital a few times, nothing major though. And besides that was back in the day. He felt the older teen's eyes pierce through his soul, filling it with a swelling fear that he might have to watch his back from now on. The movie started and Neji can say it was a pretty good movie. However, he realized that Shin-Ten and Tenten were giving off commentary. It was hilarious, Neji thought, how alike these two are. If they were born the same year they could have been twins. They walked out of the theater together. Now, how this would have went; Neji would have grabbed Tenten's hand and kissed her knuckles as they walked to his house to...er...play the bouncy bed game all night long. The Hyuga sighed to himself. This was his original plan since they haven't had sex in a good while due to missions. And he was kind of desperate. However, due to the unwanted company of a certain brother, that can't happen.

"We have a bit of time before dinner," Shin announced. "Hyuga, let's go a round."

Neji and Tenten looked at Shin shocked. He wanted to have a little kick-around with the Hyuga boy? Neji looked at Tenten, who nodded.

"Very well." He replied coolly.

Shin took his sister's hand and walked them to a training ground near the Hua household. It was a private training ground that was small, but did its duty for the Hua siblings when they wished to train in private. Near the entrance of the grounds was a shed that Shin opened and walked through. Turning on a lamp, Neji glanced around and sweat dropped. He knew that the Hua family specialized in weapons but this shed held weapons he has never seen before.

"Well I'll be damned..." Neji whispered to himself.

"Take your pick, Hyuga-kun." Shin said.

"Aniki, he is more of a taijitsu person." Tenten explained.

Shin nodded and grabbed a sword from the wall. It looked old, but it was well kept. Neji would sometimes come to see Tenten and her father polishing and sharpening weapons from the shed. They never let a blade become dull. Walking into the middle of the field, Shin-Ten took off his shirt. Well-toned and tan, Neji thought. His abs looked rock hard and his pecs were insanely smooth. Shin's arms weren't over the top toned like Gai and Lee's, but they could defiantly knock someone off their rocker if he were to punch someone. Neji sucked in his breath, actually unsure of the outcome of this. He glanced at his bun head; If Tenten were a man, she would look exactly like Shin-Ten.

"I'm so sorry, Neji." Tenten murmured.

"Don't worry about it, Tenten. Anything to please him..." Neji said as he took off his shirt and handed it to her.

Facing the older Hua sibling Neji got into his gentle fist stance. He really wasn't sure what to expect from Shin. Tenten's movements were swift and quick, but he was faster. Shin was an ANBU. There had to be something special about him. Waving the sword around, the older brunette did not lose eye contact with the Hyuga. Those eyes could see the very channels of chakra and he couldn't hide, even if he wanted to.

"Honor me with your gentle fist, Hyuga-kun." Shin called standing completely straight, his sword drawn.

Neji nodded and lunged at him. With one hand behind his back, Shin dodged the Hyuga boy's attacks gracefully, as if he was dancing. Neji was quick, Shin gave him that. But he spotted an opening and went for it. Sliding under him, Shin jabbed the sword diagonally, missing the Hyuga's left side. Straightening himself, Shin looked at him with a straight face. Neji turned to him, confused. He had a perfect angle and yet he managed to dive under him. On top of that, the ANBU had missed him. Glancing at Tenten, He noticed her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Ngh..." Neji looked down at his side.

The wound was shallow, but drew some blood. It began to sting when the blood dropped down from the opened flesh. Shin gave a pleasant grunt. When did he...? Activating his byakugan, he saw it. Shin-Ten's sword was enlaced with his chakra. It was weak though. Probably because he didn't intend to kill him or do any serious harm.

"Now you see, Hyuga-kun? My sister may be a punching bag; but I can kill you if you miss one step." The Hua sibling said swinging his sword.

"Gee, thanks Aniki..." Tenten grumbled.

The two went at it. Neji was able to land a few hits on Shin, while the latter gave the former some more gashes. It was the moment when Shin missed him completely and lunged at Tenten that his heart stopped. Out of instinct, the Hyuga jumped in front of her and landed a fatal blow to the older Hua. The blow caused Shin to combust into smoke and reveal a log.

"Neji-" Tenten gasped.

"Oh, would you look at that."

Neji whirled around and found Shin right behind Tenten, his sword at her throat. Tenten was perfectly calm, knowing her brother would never harm her. But Neji was breathing heavily and staring straight into Shin-Ten's blank eyes. This ANBU was well trained, and seemed to have no problem pestering his target. Blinking, the light returned to Shin's eyes and he smirked.

"Hm, I can have some hope in you now, Hyuga-kun." He said lowering his sword.

Neji relaxed, but his cuts were stinging due to the lingering foreign chakra. Shin told him that the side effect will disappear in a few hours. The three headed back to the Hua house hold with plenty of time to spare before Tenten's aunt and cousin arrived. Xiao-Lin opened the door to find her son covered in bruises and scratches, and her daughter's boyfriend dripping blood from opened wounds. The woman shuffled Neji upstairs to clean him up with Tenten trailing behind them. Shin looked to his father.

"Are you pleased?" He asked.

"You went easy on him. That's unlike you." Fei-Ten replied.

Shin-Ten shrugged and scratched the back of his head. The Hyuga wasn't worth the trouble. Besides, he did jump fully in front of Tenten to protect her and almost killed him if he didn't use substitution. Fei-Ten stared at his eldest for a moment before nodding and telling him to go get cleaned up.

Dinner was no better for Neji. He was sat in between Fei-Ten and Shin-Ten at the table, with Tenten all the way on the other side, next to her aunt. The distance was killer, he thought. But he had to endure it since he didn't want to offend any of the Huas. Whenever he spoke, which was often thanks to Tenten's aunt, he would receive intense stares from his girlfriend's father and brother. It wasn't that he hesitated, he would never, and it was that he needed to speak slowly to make sure he said the correct things. He was a Hyuga, he was proper, had class, and could handle any social situation thrown at him...

Not really.

With the stares came "accidental" jabs and nudges from Shin-Ten. He was resisting the urge to stand and remove himself from the table, but he kept chanting that he was doing this for himself and Tenten. It was a game, he figured. Her older brother was trying to set him off, trying to see how any strings he could pull before they became knotted. But Neji kept his cool. He just breathed and nodded when spoken to. He never interjected an opinion unless asked to, and he never made direct eye contact with Shin, Fei-Ten, or Tenten during their time at the table. And when Shin-Ten was speaking about his yearlong mission, he focused his attention fully on his tea cup, half listening just in case Shin or Fei-Ten tried to get his attention.

"So Hyuga-kun, how long have you and Tennie been dating?" Tenten's aunt asked.

"Well, today makes a year." He replied.

"Oh! You know, Tenten never told me she was even in a relationship! I had to hear it from her father!"

Tenten groaned.

"Please don't, Aunt..."

Fei-Ten shrugged at his sister.

"Sayaki don't take it personal. She is a working Kunoichi after all. Things tend to...slip her mind."

Both Neji and Tenten looked at the male Hua. That was embarrassing and something they won't forget. Tenten's aunt laughed.

"So tell me, Hyuga-kun," Sayaki grinned. "What's it like?"

Neji cocked and eyebrow.

"Sorry, I am unclear of what you are asking."

Sayaki leaned back in her seat.

"What's it like dating my stubborn niece?"

Tenten shot her aunt a glare. But Neji chuckled, sensing the playfulness in Sayaki's voice. Oh, she was quite the handful. Tenten had a sharp tongue and sass like no other female he has met before in his life. The table rippled in chuckles while Tenten crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

"Stop describing yourself, Neji." She shot at him.

Shin laughed and patted his sister's head.

"Well I guess someone has to put up with you." Tenten's cousin chirped from his side of the table.

"Shut it, Haruka." The bun head replied.

Haruka winked at her and sipped his tea.

"Haruka, go help your Goo ma get dessert." Fei-Ten said to his nephew.

The raven haired teen nodded and followed Xiao-Lin into the kitchen. Fei-Ten and his sister started clearing off the table, leaving Neji alone with Tenten and Shin-Ten. A sigh came from the Hyuga as he looked around the table. Shin-Ten turned to him, blocking his view of Tenten on the other side of him.

"Hyuga,"

"Yes?"

"I'm impressed."

Neji looked at him. Tenten felt a smile creep up on her face. She knew Shin-Ten would approve. The older Hua sibling drained the last of his tea before continuing.

"It's nice to know someone will be there to take care of Tenten while I'm gone. I know she has Rock Lee and Gai-sensei. But you, I can honsetly say, can be fully trusted with my sister's life."

Neji nodded. Of course he was. Shin-Ten put a hand on the Hyuga boy's shoulder and gave him a small smile. The rock that held in Neji's stomach all day had lifted. He had never felt so relieved in his life. Impressing Tenten's father had been a bit easier due to the fact that he had known Fei-Ten before he started dating Tenten. And her mother instantly loved him when he walked through her front door, but that's just the kind of woman Xiao-Lin was. But when it came to Shin-Ten, he admitted that he was a bit nervous. He was aware that Tenten had an older brother, but only through pictures. He knew nothing about him accept he was a high ranking ninja with a gift for swords.

"Now, let's talk business." Shin-Ten said.

Neji nodded, putting on his serious face.

"I expect at least three visits a month from you."

"Shin..." Tenten looked at him.

"I want to meet your family." He continued.

"Shin." Tenten grabbed his arm.

"And, if you get my little sister pregnant-so help me Kami- I will rip off both your scrotums and shove them so far up your rear that you'll be seeing stars for the rest of your life."/

"Shin!" Tenten exclaimed.

Neji remained calm, and kept his face serious. Nodding, he agreed to those terms. Shin-Ten turned to his sister.

"And you," he pinched her cheek. "No sleep overs with him unless you tell me."

"Ow! Let go~" Tenten tried to swat Shin's hand away from her face.

"Alright! Who wants some cake?" Sayaki announced as she entered the dining area with plates.

After desert, Neji and Tenten sat outside on her porch. It was a long day, but at least that was one less person Neji had to be "evaluated" by. Tenten chuckled and attached herself to his arm asking him what they should do now. Neji shrugged; Fei-Ten had given them permission to continue their date without Shin-Ten.

"Want to go back to my place? My mother would be happy to see you." Neji said.

Tenten shrugged.

"One thing-though."

"Hn?"

She pulled him over and pressed her lips against his, wrapping her arms around his neck. Neji snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her in tight. Pulling away, she looked him dead in the face.

"You better fuck me like you mean it tonight."


	6. Talk Dirty to Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a request by someone on fanfiction.net. I'm moving my works from there to here, so you'll be seeing some requests from that site. ~POG

Neji sat back in his chair. He had finished the math problems on the board and was staring blankly at the corner of the room. Being the genius that he was, the Hyuga would always be the one to finish early. The teacher never really paid to much mind to him because of his high marks. His hand resting in his palm, a sigh escaped his lips.

Bzzt.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and glanced down at the screen. A smirk came to his face as he read the name.

"What are you up to?" It read.

Neji unlocked the screen on his iPhone and sent a reply.

"Math. But, I'm bored."

The little icon on the bottom left side held three dots to show she was typing. He waited.

"That's nothing new."

Neji rolled his eyes but looked softly at his phone as he typed back.

"How about you? You must be insanely bored to be texting me during class."

"That's because we have a sub. Anko-sensei is absent today. And Kakashi-sensei doesn't teach much since we aren't his grade level."

Neji grunted. It was true; most of the subs were underclassmen teachers. Glancing around the room, he checked to make sure nobody was looking over his shoulder. Returning his gaze to the phone, he began to type.

"Last night was nice."

He watched as the three dots appeared again, this time for longer.

"It was. I kinda feel bad about your mom's sofa sheets though...I mean we could have went upstairs to your room you know."

Pursing his lips together, Neji recalled his date with her. Dinner was homemade by himself, since his mother wasn't home and they didn't feel like spending money. Soon enough, Neji had broken out the mini sake bottles that his mother kept in the cabinet. She doesn't drink so she didn't notice they were gone. They didn't get drunk. They just got a bit warm and fuzzy. With that Neji took his chance and they went at it all night long.

"I'm sore... Even Lee noticed that I was walking funny today. Katana club is gonna be a bitch today..."

"Sorry. I couldn't help myself." He replied feeling a little guilty.

"You try having a dick ram into your insides all night long while all you hear is 'oohhh...Ngh...Y-yeah...' It gets tiring!"

Neji's eyes grew wide. His jaw clenched, trying to resist the urge to blush. His fingers hovered over the touch screen, unsure how to respond. He glanced back up, the teacher was reading a book. Then, he got it.

"I don't think I want to. Besides, you had no objections. You were actually encouraging me to go all out on you. Oh and you aren't all that quiet either, you know. 'Oh, Neji! Harder! Ahhh, Oohhh'. Give me a break."

Pressing the "send" button the Hyuga sat back smirking. He watched the screen. After a moment, the three dots appeared.

"Shut up. You're the one who wanted me so badly. Hell, I bet you would've eaten me out if you were that desperate."

Neji stared at the reply. He could feel his cheeks getting warm at the thought of it. Eat her out? It never really crossed his mind. But he guessed it was just like her giving him head; the feeling was insane. The warmth went to his chest as he replied.

"Do you want me to?"

There was a pause in the conversation. Neji was a bit taken aback by his own reply. Before he could type something else, she replied.

"Honestly, that would have been nice."

Neji's eyebrows shot up.

"Well you're gonna have to guide me through it. I'm not very knowledgable when it comes to oral sex,you know."

Her fingers were typing quickly, since the dots instantly appeared once his phone indicated that she read the message. He felt his chest get a bit heavy.

"Oh come on genius, it's not that hard. You're just licking the inside."

Neji grunted.

"Just!? Alright, here's an idea. I'll come up with something for tonight since there seems to be something I'm missing."

"Fair enough. Let me know."

Neji rethought about his sex life with her. She loved being pinned down, so that's nothing to change. He was never rough with her, however she would be aggressive with him whenever she took over. He ever complained, though. He found it unbelievably sexy the way she would climb on top of him and get to work. Neji's cheeks were warm as he smirked just thinking about it. Her hands were calloused from Katana club, but when she let them glide against his chest it felt amazing. Her lips were the complete opposite. They were soft but could make him melt with every kiss she would lay on him. Crossing his legs, Neji tapped his finger against the side of his phone.

"Anything yet?" She sent.

Neji hummed to himself. Ah, he thought. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a book. It was one of those romance novels that were for adults. It wasn't a full out sex book, even though his girlfriend tried to get him to read "Fifty Shades of Grey" a little while back. But it was a settle adult romance novel with a good plot. Ah, he thought again as he flipped through the book. Picking up his phone again, he began to type.

"First of all, I am fully capable of making you scream. So how about this; next time I'll take things a bit slow."

"How so? And this better be good." Came the reply.

Neji huffed. Challenge accepted.

"There are exactly four sensitive spots that I have located on your body; your collar bone, the small space between your jaw and left ear, lower back, and, my personal favorite; your inner thighs. I am going to kiss and touch every point, making you melt. Trailing my fingers up and down your leg and under your skirt, your lips with be mine. I will kiss them, lick them, bite them until they are swollen and you are out of breath. My hands will travel under that uniform top and under your bra, brushing against your nipples making you shiver. But by the time you would be able to react, I would have already unclipped your bra. Lifting your shirt, your beautifully round breasts will be all mine to fondle with until I am satisfied. And believe me when I say; when it comes to men and breasts, you're in for a hell of a ride. Since you also like it when I ghost over your torso, exactly in the middle near your belly button, I will proceed to tease your with light kisses to make you squirm. Oh and that uniform skirt you hate so much, yeah, that's staying on. Instead, I'll reach under it and remove those damned shorts you always wear under everyday that block my view of your gorgeous lower body when your skirt lifts up from the wing it when your bend over. That's when it's time to play. You'll be no match for me when I kiss around your in thigh, removing your panties."

Neji smirked as he continued, getting a kick out of this.

"And as for that request, I will devour you. You'll be asking me to take you on fully. But since you're always impatient, you'll have to wait. But shortly after I make you taste your own sweet liquids, you will be bent over, and be begging me to be inside you. BEGGING, I tell you. And when I feel you have waited long enough, I will unzip myself and slowing ease inside, making sure you feel desperate. Then, I'll fuck your brains out so hard and so smooth you wouldn't even remember what your last name was."

Pressing send, Neji sat back feeling proud of himself. He stashed the book away in his back before glancing at his phone again. The three dots only appeared briefly, but then disappeared. She had nothing to say to that? No sassy comment, no insult to his cheesey plan? Or to the fact that he was even telling her all this in the middle of school. Two minutes rolled by when there was a knock in his classroom door. The teacher stood and greeted the person standing there. Neji glanced over and looked wide eyed at her.

"Vice President Hua? What brings you here? Are you alright?" The teacher asked.

"Yes, sensei. I just need President Hyuga to deal with...an issue that had popped up. It will probably take the rest of class time, so I apologized in advance." The bun head replied looking at Neji from the door way.

The teacher nodded and excused Neji from class. Placing the finished work on the teacher desk, Neji walked out the room, his pony tail trailing behind him. He followed her down the hallway. She didn't look at him, but her cheeks were red and her lips were pursed. Neji grabbed her wrist and forced her to look at him. Holding back a laugh, he realized what happen to her.

"Oh, Tenten..." He whispered in her ear placing his hands on her hips.

She looked away from him. Neji quickly shuffled her to the student council room. Luckily, he was the only one who had the key to the room since hers was still being made. Lifting her up, he sat her on the President's desk. Pressing her forehead to his, Tenten brought Neji's hands to her upper thighs, under her skirt. It took Neji a moment before he realized what she was showing him.

"Oh, Tenten..." He looked at her shocked.

"I left those 'damned shorts' at home. And those panties are actually a new thong I bought a week ago." She stated heatedly.

Neji gulped and grunted. That's never happen before. Looking into her eyes, he noticed how much she was heated. Reaching down, the bun head grabbed him by his collar and brought her ear to his lips.

"I expect you to live up to what you sent me." She purred.

Neji's body heated. She proceeded to unbuttoning his shirt, but before she could undo the third button, he grabbed her wrists and pushed her back onto the desk.

"Now, now. Don't be hasty. Besides, you had the nerve to complain. So, I expect you to be a good girl and and take what's coming to you." He growled.

Tenten's parted lips were puckered as she looked into his eyes. Shit, she wanted him so badly. And worst part is, she was completely at his mercy. Part of her wished she hadn't said anything, but then again; she was the one who dragged him out of class. Leaning down, Neji hovered his lips over hers, looking her straight in the eyes.

"Karma's a bitch, eh, babe? Now, start begging."


	7. Fetish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another request from FF.net ~POG

"That's called Stigmatiophillia." Sakura said as she stirred her tea.

"Stigma- what?" Ino asked sitting down next to Tenten.

"Piercing and Tattoo fetish." Tenten explained.

"What the fuck?" The blonde replied picking up a menu.

Sakura clicked her tongue. Apparently, ear piercings do not count in this fetish. Tenten took a sip of her coffee.

"How'd you get onto the topic anyway?" Ino asked flagging down a waiter.

"Well, Tenten brought up that she noticed that Neji had a lot of tattooing magazines in his room." Hinata explained.

Ino gave Tenten an eyebrow before ordering a grilled chicken salad with extra cheese and no dressing. The fashion student turned to her bun head friend.

"So, were they dirty?"

Tenten shook her head. Tattoo magazines are normally just showcases of tattoos that the artists have done; their best work. And within the tattoo magazine there was a section on piercings.

"He had a whole stack; about over a dozen." Tenten sipped her coffee. "I never knew he was into tattoos. I mean the one on his forehead-"

"Where there any naked pictures in there?"

"Ino!"

"What? Maybe he gets off on them."

"And that's what it's called! I just gave you the proper name for it."

"Oh relax forehead, it's not a big deal."

"Well pig, if you were listening you would have heard me."

Tenten rolled her eyes. The waiter came by with her spring rolls and sauce. She looked up at the waiter to notice that he was wearing a lip ring. The waiter smiled at her before walking back to the kitchen.

"Hm, piercings are sexy. If you get the right ones." Tenten murmured.

"You know, Neji used to have a lot of them." Hinata announced sipping her latte.

"Really?" Ino asked.

"Oh, I remember that. He had a few and would switch them out sometimes." Tenten said.

Hinata nodded. It was a rebellious stage back in high school. Neji had a new piercing every month or two and it would drive his family up the wall. His mother wasn't too happy when we was walking around with spider bites one time and angel wings the other. So, when third year of high school came by, his parents made him take everything out. His face healed but the scars are still faintly there along with is arrogant attitude.

"Tenten, you've known him before we came to the school. What'd he look like?" Sakura asked.

Tenten thought for a moment. She much preferred him with the spider bites more than the angel wings. But he did have his tongue pierced which she was there for when he dragged her out to get a matching one. He was a bit arrogant and always a little angry-

"Wait, wait. You have one too?" Ino asked,

"I used to. I took it out and let it heal only because my tongue swelled up and my brother would have killed me." The brunette explained.

"Huh. I would've never thought..." Sakura murmured as the waiter came back with her cream puff.

"Tenten, do you think that he has this fetish? I mean think about it," Sakura said taking a sip of her tea. "He took you to get your belly button pierced."

"Yeah and?" Ino asked.

"We had sex once we got to his place." Tenten replied nonchalantly.

Ino almost choked. One would think it was normal to have sex during random times of the day. However, what made it odd was that she could see the Hyuga getting aroused just by watching the needle pierce her navel.

"I'm a bit surprised actually. Neji doesn't seem like the person to have this kind of fetish. I mean, I've never seen him with any piercings beside his earrings. And he doesn't talk to anyone but you. So, I can't see if he has a web or a tongue ring." Sakura hummed to herself.

"I wonder if he had a Prince Albert."

It was Tenten's turn to choke.

"A what?" Sakura asked.

The waiter came over with Ino's salad and Hinata's bagel with tofu cream cheese. Ino patted Tenten's back and laughed.

"A Prince Albert is when a male pierces his penis." The waiter explained simply wiping his blue bangs from his face.

Ino snapped her head toward the waiter.

"Does it hurt?" She asked honestly.

"Sorry, I couldn't tell you. I haven't gotten it done." The waiter smiled at her.

"Would you though?"

"Mm, if my girlfriend wanted me to, then yeah." He replied.

"Wait, what does that have to do with anything?" Sakura asked.

The waiter scratched the back of his shaggy blue haired head. Apparently it's supposed to feel amazing for the receiver, without a condom, during sex.

"Oh. Such a good boyfriend you are." Ino smiled at him.

"I'm single actually." He shrugged. "It was more of an 'IF' I had a girlfriend statement."

Tenten laughed when she saw the look on Ino's face. She pulled out her card and handed it to him. He looked at it and smiled.

"Call me when you're free." She told him before he walked back to the kitchen smiling at the card.

"You just made his day." Tenten lightly hit her arm.

"Okay, Tenten," Ino snapped toward her. "When you see Neji later, I want you to inspect his ENTIRE body, penis and all. I am dying to know of he has a Prince Albert and you didn't realize it."

"Fine." Tenten shrugged.

Tenten sat on her boyfriend's couch as he flipped through the medical channels. He was studying to be a doctor, he told her when he declared his major at the University. She was going to study Engineering; Weapons Engineering specifically. She leaned over and eyed his profile. His long bang was tucked behind his ear, showing off the two small silver chain studs she had given him for his birthday last year. And he had given her matching ones the following year. Hinata was right, there were little dark spots on his creamy skin above and below his lips. God she missed his spider bites.

"What's up?" He asked her.

Tenten blinked and shook her head.

"If it's the earrings, then no, they haven't irritated my ears. I'm a bit shocked that they haven't yet. Probably because you put the clear nail polish on the back." He murmured turning back to the tv.

Tenten looked at the rest of him and thought about what the waiter had said earlier. Now, she was curious. Would it be so awkward to say 'hey Neji, is your penis pierced?' Or 'Neji, show me your male organ". Not sure what to do, Tenten shook her head. Sitting back, she lifted her shirt and started playing with her belly ring. She found it so cute and was really happy when Neji took her to get it done.

"So, uh. I see you like the rod I got you." He cleared his throat as he glanced over.

"Hm? Oh, yeah it's really cute. I love the mini panda on it." She said as she continued to play with it. The silver color of the rod looked great on her tan skin.

Neji looked at her for a moment before leaning over and kissing her cheek. His lips trailed down to her neck, causing her to let go of her ring. Neji brushed his hands against her stomach, his fingers playing with the ornament. Tenten squirmed when he laid her on her back and was hovering over her. Maybe she should dig a little.

"Neji?"

"Hn?" He glanced up from her stomach.

"You didn't get rid of all your piercings...did you?"

Neji shook his head. He stuck out his tongue. Tenten saw nothing until he reached on and pulled out a plastic holder. He still had his tongue pierced.

"That's one..."

He pulled his hair up and turned around there were two little studs on the back of his neck.

"That's three." He murmured reaching for his shirt.

Tenten's eyes got wide.

"That's four." Neji showed her his bare chest where a small silver bar was peaking out his left nipple.

"I used to have my belly button as well, but I had to take it out." He said.

The bun head clenched her jaw as she pushed on.

"Any other ones? I know you had a whole bunch."

He paused, looking down at her curiously.

"Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious. You know, I was thinking about getting my back dimples pierced. What do you think?"

There was a flicker in his eyes as if he were imaging her with the said piercing. 

"That would look good. I think I should go with you to get it done." He said leaning down and lightly kissed her lips.

After a few moments of kissing and touching, Tenten had realized where this was headed. She pushed him away, receiving a confused look.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

She shook her head and had a look of concentration on her face.

"Are you in some kind of pain?"

"No." She replied.

"Are you on your period? That's totally fine I mean we won't-"

"No. I'm not on it."

"Hm, you're a little late then. Maybe I should bring you to get a tes-"

"What?! No!"

Tenten huffed and glared at him. Neji cocked his head to the side, unsure of what to make of the situation. It was when the bun head told him to drop his pants he had to do a double take.

"Wait..what?" He asked.

"You heard me. Drop 'em." She demanded.

Neji cocked and eyebrow before unbuckling his belt. He dropped his jeans, and looked at Tenten for a second. She was defiantly observing him in an intense way, which was making him a little nervous. But he did drop his boxers and watched her reaction. Tenten leaned over and gasped.

Ino had called it.

Without thinking she reached over and grabbed him. Neji grunted in shock, clenching his teeth. There it was. Tenten stared in awe.

"How did I not notice this before?!" She exclaimed.

Neji let out a light blush.

"It's not like you look down there when we have sex, Tenten. Besides, we use a condom so you can't tell really."

Tenten was still in shock. Holy shit. She thought. She let go and he replaced his pants on his hips. He seemed a bit...embarrassed? Neji leaned back on sofa and side glanced at her.

"Did it hurt?" She asked.

"Not really. I mean back then I had a pretty high tolerance for needles..." He murmured.

Tenten reached over and kissed him. But not just kissed him; she added a bit of tongue. Of course Neji got a little riled up, and they headed to his room. When he reached for the drawer on his night stand, she grabbed his wrist. The Hyuga's eyebrows furrowed as he questioned her as to why he shouldn't get a condom.

"Don't." She murmured. "I wanna see if a certain theory is true."

 

 

"What!?"

"I knew it!!"

"That's something I didn't need to know..."

Tenten chuckled on the phone. Neji was in the shower while she sat back on his couch in her pajamas, watching tv.

"He said that it didn't really hurt when he got it. I have to admit, I was pretty shocked that you called that Ino."

The blondes voice shrieked over the phone. She knew what she was talking about...half the time.

"Well? Was what the waiter said true?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, god. I would have never though." The brunette replied.

"So it was good!" Ino chirped.

"Ugh, guys, I really didn't want to know that my older cousin has his male organ pierced..."

"Sorry Hinata." Tenten chuckled.

"Well what else happen?" Sakura asked.

"He has his nipple pierced-"

"Oh now that's hot." Ino hummed. "Only one?"

"The left one to be exact."

The girls chuckled to each other over the phone. Hinata let out a small groan as they cooed over her older cousin's body enhancements. 

"I told him I was gonna get my back dimples pierced."

"Oh that would he hella cute, though." Ino replied.

"Tenten?"

The bun head looked up. Neji was in a towel and pointing to the phone. She mouthed that it was the girls and waved him off. The Hyuga shrugged and walked to his room to get dressed.

"Ugh, I said that and he got excited. I think you're right Sakura."

"Naturally." The pinkette hummed.

"But it's still weird." Hinata added.


	8. Her Body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missions weren't always so smooth with these two.

Neji huffed as he sat himself on the edge of the bed. They were fully capable of handling almost any situation the enemy threw at them...but that was just egregious. If they would have done it his way, they'd still be out there. But they did it her way, so they weren't there all night. He should've grabbed her back when he had the chance. however, the mission comes before anything else. And besides, it's not like she'd listen to him anyway; se never really did when it came to these types of missions. Once she got sick of him ordering her around, she'd go of on her own and not take into consideration his own feelings.

A few moments later his partner walked into the room, still in that god damn skimpy dress with red pumps. She didn't put back on her fish nets, and her hair was in a messy curly ponytail. She padded over to her bag and removed the hidden blade from her thigh.

"You're still up?" She hummed.

Neji grunted. He was in no mood to talk to her. Tenten rolled her eyes and took off her pumps. Wiggling her toes, she let out a grateful sigh. She had a slight pep in her step, he noticed. She bent over close her bag, her backside now present to the Hyuga. He glanced, even though he was still angry with her; he couldn't help it. 

"I'm going to go shower." She announced before leaving to the next room.

The Hyuga glared in her direction. Not even an apology for just jumping the gun? Neji was now heated. Her means of getting information was useful, granted by her job as a female ANBU. He loathed that, though. The thought of another man even looking at her with a sliver of interest peeved him. It was his jealousy talking now; the idea that some scum bag glazed upon her soft tan skin, and landing kisses on her neck and face made him furious. It was their job, he reminded himself in an attempt to calm down. A mission was a mission and it was their duty to complete it at all costs. Pursing his lips together, the Hyuga held in am aggravated sigh. He tried everything to prevent her from giving up her body in order to complete missions such as these. Did she enjoy it? He didn't understand the appeal of how she handled herself. Probably because it was easy, he thought. She had played her cards right and was able to lure their target into her arms with such ease. Perhaps that is what annoyed him?

"Ahh..." Tenten walked out the bathroom in a towel, which she dropped into a basket and walked toward their bags.

Neji's eyes lingered. What the fuck is that?! His eyes sharpened as he noticed bruises on her thighs and breasts. That bastard was too rough on her, he clenched his jaw. Not only that, she allowed him to toy with her. And there, another just below her let ear. The Hyuga balled his hands into fists as. This wouldn't have happened if she would just listen to him. She may not be affected my it, but he always hated when this happened. This time, though, he was furious because she didn't have to. Tenten stood in front of a mirror and combed her curly damp locks. Did she just ignore these marks when she looked into the mirror? What was she thinking as they stare her in the face? She noticed her partner looking at her and turned around.

And that's when Neji stood. He walked over to her and looked at her neck. He was going to kill that son of a bitch, he grimaced. There were teeth markings on her neck that were black and blue. Any more pressure and her soft skin would've been punctured. It was disgusting, he thought. 

"He was a bit rough. But I was able to-"

"Your body is disturbing." He hissed.

Tenten was taken aback. She blinked at him. This wasn't ANBU Lieutenant Hyuga talking; this was boyfriend of four years Neji talking. He was heated, she noticed. His face showed clear signs of deadly intent to kill the man she slept with to get information. He grabbed her hips and held her still, looking at the rest of her body for any signs of cuts or gashes.

"Ow... Neji. You're hurting me..." She winced as his grip tightened.

Neji looked up at her and released her.

"Every time this happens, I always frown at how disgusting your body looked after one of these missions...but those times you had to," he turned away from her. "This time you did it willingly, even though I had a plan already th-"

"What the hell do you expect? You had a plan, but I was the one put on the spot. Don't get upset at me just because you didn't get to me fast enough with this plan of yours!" Tenten exclaimed.

Neji paused and took in her words. In a way, she was right. But she still had a choice. He glanced back over at her. Tenten bit her lip as she looked down at her feet. She knew, he thought, that there were other ways. She knew, he turned to her fully, his face going from angered to melancholy. Gently he reached over and brushed his fingertips against her cheeks. He hated when others looked at her. He hated how she looked after these missions.

He hated when she was always right.

His eyes traveled to her lips, which were swollen and pink. The ivory orbs traveled down to her breasts, little markings of biting and sucking were present. His fingers trailed down her collarbone and glazed across her nipples. Tenten bit her lip, unsure of what to do. He was touching her as if she was made of glass that would break instantly if he applied too much pressure. His hands gently held her bare waist; a few more bruises were upon that exotic skin. Those hands slowly went down to her hips. Bruises lay where the bastard has grabbed her to make her in rhythm. Her legs; this long muscular legs that could knock someone out with one round house kick. The Hyuga's fingers gently glazed over the tender red and purple markings. His eyes became hooded as he looked at her. Protecting her was very difficult on these missions. He wanted to protect her from the hands of those men who she teases and the seductive remarks that came with it. Her body was tossed around like to was nothing to them; it was everything to the Hyuga.

"I find your body disturbing," he whispered.

She blinked.

"When we go on missions like this."

Tenten mentally sighed. He had finally calmed down. Taking her hands, he gently brought them to his lips and kissed her knuckles. She was only doing her job, he thought. He never thought there would be a day he would put his feelings over his work and act in such a way. But, she was his girlfriend of four years. And he hated to see her look so vulnerable.

"Neji..." She whispered.

He looked at her tired face. Slowly, he leaned in and gently laid his lips on top of hers. His arms wrapped around her bare body and held her tight. He breathed in her shampoo; the smell soothing to him. Tenten pulled back and began to take off his shirt. His bare chest showed scars of numerous battles; many of them she was there for. She pressed herself against him. Neji let go of a breath he didn't realize he was holding and leaned into her hug. The skin to skin contact was something he always enjoyed; even if they weren't making love. It was something about how warm she was, and how soft she felt against him. For her, it was his toned torso that she felt like snuggling against all night long. He was comfortable and his heart beat was always steady; even when he was in one of his moods.

"Neji, how old am I?" She asked suddenly.

"How do you not know your own-"

"Answer the damn question, Hyuga." she rolled her eyes.

Neji tilted his head to the side.

"Twenty."

Tenten took a deep breath. Maybe if she chose her words correctly she won't fuel the fire.

"And how long have you known me?"

"Since the academy." he replied, unsure where this was going.

"You should know by now I can handle myself."

Neji clenched his jaw at her words.

"Listen," she put a hand on his cheek. "You go shower, and I'll be waiting for you here when you get out. I'll tell you everything I got out of that punk"

"Fine."


	9. Hot Springs

Hot Springs.

 

It became a tradition. After a mission that lasted more than a month was completed, team Gai would make a trip to a hot spring, just a few miles north of the village. It was beautiful; surrounded by trees, had an amazing view, and didn't cost too much to stay the night.

The sun was beating down that summer day and team Gai had finished giving in their report to the Hokage. Another successful mission, Tenten thought. That was nothing new to them. Neji heaved a hefty sigh and rubbed his left shoulder. He was looking forward to that hoit spring and perhaps he'd get a massage as well.

"I need to stop at home first," Tenten said. "To get clothes and tell my mom I'm back."

Neji nodded. He had to do the same as well. His mother would be pleased that he has returned in one piece. Lee stopped in his tracks.

"I do not think I will be spending the night with you guys." He told them.

"Why not?" Tenten asked.

The bowl cut teen adjusted the bag on his back. His grandmother had come to visit the week before they returned. He had promised his parents to stay home and spend time with her when he got back.

"I will still go to the springs with you. But I cannot stay." Lee said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it, Lee. Family comes first." Neji commented.

"Well, I will meet you two there then in fifteen minutes."

The three teens sprinted in different directions toward their homes. Tenten had rushed in through her door, yelling a greeting to her mother and running upstairs to get a bag of fresh clothing.

"Mom!" The bun head called. "Where is the rest of my underwear?"

"It's there." Here mother called back.

Tenten dug around the drawer.

"Mom!" She called again. "I can't find my boy shorts!"

Tenten's mother came upstairs into her daughter's room. She told her that all her boy shorts and cotton underwear were in the wash.

"It'll be done in forty-five minutes." Her mother told her.

The bun head groaned. She didn't have that kind of time. Reluctantly, she reached in and pulled out a pair a cute panties with a small ruffle. She really only wore these when she felt extra girly or when she'd go on a date with Neji. Getting the bra to match (since why not?), she threw them in a bag among with some jogging shorts and a crop top. Dashing through her door with her backpack on her back, she made her way towards the springs.

When Neji had walked through the door, his mother had greeted him with tea and a snack. He really wasn't in a rush since he had packed his bag before they even went on the mission. Sitting on the couch, he sat silently with his mother, enjoying the tranquility of his small home.

"How was it, dear?" His mother asked after a while.

"It went smoothly, as always. How were things when I was gone?" Neji asked.

His mother shrugged. Hiashi came by to see how she'd been doing. She had cleaned and cooked. Nothing special really happened. Neji nodded. Ever since his father died, his uncle has been keeping tabs on his sister-in-law. After his whole "fuck the main branch" phase, Neji had become quite grateful of his uncle for watching over his mother when he was gone.

"Oh, shouldn't you be leaving soon?" His mother asked.

Neji glanced at the clock. Nodding, he grabbed his bag and gave a swift hug to his mother before dashing out of his house.

Lee was the last to show, but only by a minute. They waltzed to the front desk and paid.

"We have construction going on in the woman's bath. So, you will have to mix in with the men's." The desk lady told Tenten.

Tenten sucked her teeth. Neji asked if there was anybody else here.

"Nope, just you guys for today...at least for now. The weather has made our business wither a bit." She handed them towels.

Neji nodded and led his team to their room. Tenten was next door (much to his dislike and was taking forever to change into her robe.

"Tenten, are you alright?" Lee asked opening the door to her room.

Her shirt shot into Lee's face causing the bowl cut teen to stagger backwards. Neji shook his head. So, like a gentleman, he closed her door and knocked.

"Go on ahead. I'm just trying to make sure the stitches don't come out." She called.

Neji grabbed her shirt from Lee and folded it. Placing it in front of her door, he took Lee by the collar and dragged him to the spring. Slipping into the water, the Hyuga gave a grateful sigh. He needed this. Lee dipped himself in, only to cringe at the heat hitting his muscles.

"Relaxation at last." Neji murmured.

A few moments later, Tenten made her way into the area. Both teens looked at her curiously as she glanced around. She wasn't used to mixed baths and didn't like to showcase her body so openly. Neji whistled her over. He couldn't help but let his eyes linger at her frame when she approached them, her towel still wrapped around her body.

"It is just us, Tenten." Lee said, not quiet sure why she was resisting.

"I know but anyone can pop in here at anytime." Tenten replied.

"It is alright. I will shield your body from anyone else who arrives!" Lee promised.

Tenten smiled a bit. Of course, she thought. She glanced at the door one more time before removing the towel and slipping into the water. After a moment, all three of them sighed in unison. The heat of the water did wonders on their skin. Neji peeked his eyes over at her. Her cheeks were pink and her skin looked raw due to the stitches. Strands of hair were escaping from her buns and were beginning to curl. She had bags under her eyes from exhaustion, along with a little discoloration. She looked a mess, the Hyuga thought. But he couldn't help it. Just to look at her was something he had to resist doing while working. He's always looked at her, but never in the same way. Even though she looked worn out, she still held that exotic beauty that he became attracted to a back when they had become best friends. It's such a shame, he thought. She had such an amazing body, and yet she wears those baggy clothes. He admired he'd love to see her in something similar to what Ino or Sakura wore, but he knew she'd never go for it. His eyes snapped over to Lee. His teammate had his eyes closed in full testing mode. Neji snaked over to Tenten and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You still seem uncomfortable." He commented.

Tenten shrugged.

"I'm fine when it's you guys, but like I said, anyone can pop in here at any time."

Neji cocked his head to the side.

"I find this behavior odd from you."

The young women cocked an eyebrow.

"It seems out of character." He continued.

The weapons master shrugged. She felt too exposed if she didn't know what was going to happen. She knew she had Lee and Neji, but it was still...weird (for lack of a better word).

"I think it's cute."

Her eyes snapped to his.

"What?" She asked.

He shrugged. Her embarrassment was something he was not used to witnessing, there for he finds it quite attractive. Tenten rolled her eyes. He was trying to take her mind off of it. Shifting a bit, she nearly jumped when she felt his fingers snaking onto her thigh.

"Neji!" She hissed.

He didn't reply; just sat there with his hand on her thigh. Tenten glanced over at Lee. She didn't like to show case her relationship with Neji around him, even though he was perfectly fine that his two teammates were now romantic. However, she felt bad that Lee was still chasing a girl that he could never have and didn't want him to feel left out. Neji, on the other hand, couldn't care less at times. If they were on a mission or in public, sure he'd keep his hands to himself. When they were alone or on a date, he'd be all over her (not that she minds it.). A few moments past and Lee opened his eyes. He looked over at his teammates and smiled.

"I must get going. I wish I could hang out longer, but my grandmother awaits." He said.

As he hoisted himself from the bath, Lee grabbed a towel and proceeded to the washing area which was located inside. That's when Neji pounced; he grabbed Tenten by her waist and pressed himself against her.

"Neji!" She exclaimed. "Are you fucking crazy?!"

He smirked. Tenten blushed a little by his expression (hot guys smirking is always pretty sexy). Leaning in, he ran his fingers up and down her side, being careful not to touch the stitches that bonded the wound together. She glared at him.

"Anyone can pop in you know!" She said.

"It's not like I can't tell when someone is coming. What kind of ninja would I be?" He responded with a arrogant tone.

Neji grabbed her legs again and laid his lips against hers. Even though he seemed rough, he was always very gentle with her. Squeezing her thighs, he planted a few kisses on her collar bone, a sweet spot he found on her a few weeks ago that made her melt.

"Mmm... How do we always end up like this?" She asked as she gave into his touch.

"Luck...or sometimes I pull some strings." He answered.

Yes, that Hyuga power worked wonders at times. Upon many occasions, Neji has been able to get them completely alone for long periods of time. Complete privacy was something Neji pushed for when it came to Tenten.

"Hey, keep the hands up here!" Tenten scowled as she grabbed his wrists.

Neji smirked. He loved to play with her and make her squirm. Toying was quiet entertaining. Would he take her here? Nah, they've tried only to leave Tenten in discomfort. Water, they found out, is a terrible lubricant.

"Alright, off." She groaned, pushing him back.

Neji cocked his head to the side. She sank further under the water and sighed. Reaching for her, the Hyuga's hand got swatted away. To this, he frowned.

"Nope." She said.

"Why not?" Neji asked.

"I want to enjoy my bath."

"But you can enjoy it."

"Not when you're hanging on me."

Neji's mouth twitched. What was that supposed to mean? Did he loose his ability to swoon her by his good looks and touch? Sucking his teeth, the Hyuga crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. All he wanted to do was be romantic. Was that too difficult? For him, possibly... Or could it be that she got used to him so much that she has become immune?

"Don't start with that face, Neji." Tenten rolled her eyes.

Neji blinked and went back to his default stoic look.

"Take your punishment to heart. I have one rule tonight that will train you to stay in your place." Tenten announced.

Neji cocked and eyebrow.

"You will keep your hands off of me." The bun head insisted. "You can only kiss me good night."

Neji went wide eyed.

"Wha-"

"Got it, Hyuga?"

The ivory eyed teen huffed and turned his head to glared at the wall. Tenten chuckled a bit to herself at his childish behavior.

"What a brat..." She murmured amusingly.


	10. My Cousin's New Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neji's (POV) if it wasn't obvious

My cousin's new friend

I've been living in between my parent's house and my uncle's house for a good few years. Being business people, my father is out of country a lot. With that, my mother likes to visit more of her side of the family whenever this occurs. That just leaves me to do whatever I want. For a fourteen year old, you couldn't have it any better. I actually prefer being alone. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents and I have two close friends but I just love solitude even more. Unfortunately, my dear uncle feels as though it is unwise to keep me locked up in my house for long periods of time (it's not like I'm going to burn it down...we have maids to cook for a reason). So, upon that thought, I have been deemed with the most terrible luck of having to travel to the Hyuga Estate, which is on the other side of town, and put up with the constant noise and be forced to socialize with each of these old men and annoying teenagers who look exactly like me (more or less...). Worst of all, I actually have to give a fuck. You'd probably think it's not that bad, oh, but it is. Everything is such a bother. I'm forced to listen to stories that I have heard many times, useless gossip about whose getting married and whose having another brat. It has no meaning to me. These estate Hyugas are nothing but a bundle of bees, having nothing better to do but circulate small talk and gossip around while their head member (my uncle) sits in content, being the big shot business man he is.

Anyway, enough of my ranting; its a bit unsettling for me to get so worked up over such affairs that I clearly had no say in. I was sitting in my room (yes, I have one at the damn estate) when my aunt came in through the door. She told me to come to the tea room where my uncle was waiting. I had struggled for a moment to find motivation to move, but it led to me finally giving an aggravated sigh and finding my way to the said room. Of course, my uncle was sitting at the head of the tea table with his news paper and reading glasses. He looked up as I walked in, telling me to sit.

"Your cousin is bringing over a guest." He began.

Oh, great. Another person I'd be force to be in the presence of.

"She's your age. An exchange student from HongKong."

My age? "She"? I held back a snort.

"Since Hinata isn't very fluent in Cantonese yet, like you are, you will help her communicate with this girl. According to the school, though, she has a great understanding of Japanese. Don't screw up."

My eyebrow twitched. I'm a walking translator for my terribly timid younger cousin and some girl from HongKong. Great. I sighed and settled my self at the table more comfortably. Admittedly, my Cantonese is rather rusty...in the reading and writing segments. My conversation, however, is flawless. There is a reason why I am called a genius in this family. Hopefully she won't be like the rest of my cousins friends. Loud, that high pitched octave that makes my ears ring whenever they speak. She must dress similar to us in some ways, they have casual over there, right? I hope she doesn't fawn over me like most girls do. I know I'm attractive, but damn. They flock like pigeons do for bread.

After a while, my younger cousin materialized from behind the door with this girl behind her. I didn't even look at her. Not yet, not until I hear her voice.

"Father...this is my friend." My cousin stammered as she walked into the room.

Hiashi stood and glanced down at me, as if to tell me to get up and greet this girl. I just looked at him back.

"Hello," he nodded at her. "I am Hinata's father. You may address me as such or Mr. Hyuga." My uncle pointed to me."This is Hinata's cousin...my nephew, Neji. He will be accompanying you during your stay. He speaks Cantonese fluently, so if you have any questions you can refer to him."

There was a few seconds of silence. I still didn't move. Hinata apologized to her friend, saying that I wasn't a very social person. Now, I wouldn't say that. I can be social, on my own will.

"Hello." Came the soft greeting.

My eyes shot over. And then, I stood. I don't think I've seen anyone like her before. She had chocolate brown hair twisted into two buns. Her eyes were a golden brown; warm, and welcoming. Her skin was naturally tan. I've seen the artificial stuff, and it doesn't look nearly as good as this. Her eyelashes were long, but I don't think she's wearing any make up...like at all. Her capris were navy blue and her Chinese style top was pink. She may be ordinary to a regular person, but I am no regular person. She smiled at me. A soft smile, unsure of what to say.

"So...what's your name?" I asked in Cantonese.

"Tenten." She replied.

"Is there a last name to that?" I asked.

She blinked and blushed a bit. Huh, she's nervous. She has every right to be. This family is batshit crazy and she just walked right into the den.

"Hua." She replied sheepishly.

Wait, that's a mandarin last name. How strange.

"Now that you have familiarized your self," Hiashi pushes me forward. "You will be shown to your room."

The Chinese girl nodded and followed Hinata out of the room. I followed, willingly this time. How strange, I thought. She has this attractive sense to her although her looks are pretty natural. Maybe I like natural. That could explain it. Walking down the hall, she just looked around. She stayed silent. Her voice wasn't high pitched, she wasn't loud... she doesn't even seemed dazed by my good looks either. Wait, they must have better looking guys in HongKong. But I bet I'm the best she's gonna find here.

"So," I said in Canto.

She turned to me.

"That last name of yours is a bit odd for you."

Tenten shrugged.

"I was born in HongKong, but I have family in main land China. I speak some Mandarin too." She explained.

Ah, a smooth sound. Very calm, how nice. Hinata started to tell her about the places in the city she was going to take her to. They were typical shopping centers, cinemas...even expensive restaurants. I watched as the girl blinked and nodded every now and then. She didn't seem all that interested in the main stream stuff.

"Better idea," I turned to my younger cousin.

She looked at me curiously.

"How about you take her to the different parks where the festivals are being held. Each one is pretty different and the food is cheap, but good. The amusement park is open and has fireworks every night. Also, isn't that Bon fire that Kiba is throwing soon?"

Hinata thought for a moment.

"Hinata," I pressed. "Anyone can go to the city and wasting money. I'm sure she'll love if you save that for a few days before she leaves back to HongKong."

My cousin nodded. I'm always right, so there was no way she could refuse that.

"So...then what are we doing?" Tenten asked.

Before Hinata could respond, I turned to her.

"Something more fun then site seeing."

000000000000000

There were festivals in the parks for weeks. Since we're rich, most girls in our family have more than one kimono. Hinata had set some aside for her friend. At the same time, Tenten had brought gifts from HongKong. She had apologized me since she had no clue I would be with them for the duration of her stay. I mean, I wasn't expecting anything, so I don't see why she's apologizing. She had given Hinata a "QiPao" or something like that. It was a traditional dress in light blue with silver flowers on it. For the rest of the day, we wandered around the estate. When I asked her about her home, she said she lived in an apartment with her parents and older brother. It was a bit small, but it was comfortable.

With the activities we conducted over the last few days, I can honestly say I had the great pleasure of being this girl's escort. It seemed as though after a few days she got comfortable with her surroundings; she began to speak more. She even talked back to me once when I snapped at Hinata. I wasn't expecting it (like at all), but it happen and left me standing there baffled and wondering why I found that attractive. She looked damn great in a regular party dress, I saw when we all went out to meet the rest of Hinata's friends. Her legs were long, tan, and had some muscle tone. When I asked, she said she was on her martial arts team at her school. But she was also pretty handy with a sword and bow. I could help but imagine her all sweaty and out of breath. It's crazy, when I think about it. I've avoided female contact for as long as I could remember (outside the family, remember I love my mother) but before I knew it, I'm walking after this Chinese girl that I'll probably never see again. She enjoyed eating the food at the festivals. Everything she tried she loved, which was good. Food seemed to be a big thing for her. Especially when we got back home she would peek her head into the kitchen and see what the cooks were making.

Thinking back, I never actually considered her to be a basic girl that one would assume. She wore no make up, and she always kept her hair in those two buns during they day, and neat braids at night. She was never in a night gown, always shorts and a over sized shirt. When she ate it wasn't like a bird; she filled herself up and wasn't afraid to ask for more. When it came down to martial arts, I would sometimes watch her in the back yard doing some drills Granted i wasn't the only one. A lot of the others would whisper to each other about her. They would speak about her form, her mannerisms. They would discuss her speech and her way of dressing; how she carried herself, how odd her persona was. It was indeed odd, but not in a bad way. It was new for these old men to actually be around someone as uplifting as she. Hell, Tenten would even play with my younger cousins if they were outside. It was interesting to watch.

To save time, though-I'm going to skip over to last big hang out we all had been invited to by Kiba.

When we all gathered at the beach for the Bon Fire party, Hinata had told me earlier that a friend of Tenten's will be there as well. He too was being hosted by one of their friends. When I asked who, her cheeks turned red and that was all I needed to know.

"Tenten! I have been waiting to see you!" A teen with a weird hair cut and bushy eyebrows ran up to us.

The closer he came the more I thought of him to be a Bruce Lee look a like.

"Lee!" She beamed and they embraced.

And his name is Lee? Well, shit.

"Neji, Hinata," Tenten turned to us. "This is my dear friend, Rock Lee. He too is in the martial arts club."

I nodded at him before leading them back to where everyone else was. It was a nice time, I had to admit. Kiba knows how to throw great parties. He brought s'more materials and other food we could cook on sticks (pretty much fish and hot dogs). We sat out and watched as the stars came out. The music played from Ino's car and Shikamaru was already napping in his beach chair. I glanced over at Tenten, who was too busy braiding her hair.

"Have you done anything like this before?" I asked in Canto.

"No," she replied. " but I wish I could've done something like this sooner."

We sat in silence for a moment.

"You leave soon." I said suddenly.

"Yeah, in like three days."

Tenten turned to me and smiled.

"I've had a lot of fun thanks to you and your family. I hope we could remain friends even though I'm leaving." She said in Japanese.

I looked at her then nodded swiftly.

"Of course," I replied. "That's not going to change."

Tenten smiled sweetly at me. Her cheeks were tinted a light pink color as she turned her gaze back to the fire. She...likes me? I blinked. Nope, I told myself. There was no point in making a move. As much as I wanted to, I have to remember, I'm probably never going to see her again. And it wasn't like I could go with her. I'm not in love, don't get it twisted. I guess you can say that I found someone I wouldn't mind spending time with, even if I wanted to be away from everyone else. Sure I find her attractive as hell, but I still know nothing of her.

So when it came time for her to leave, I gave her my email. Weird, I know. Numbers can change or be lost, and my emails go straight to my phone. I stayed behind as my uncle and cousin drove her back to the airport. Later that night, I got an email from her, wishing I could've come with her back home.

One day.

Just not now.


	11. Professor?

She sat at the bar. Granted she had to be with her younger friends (only by a year though) and was dragged here to be let in. He had to admit, she was very attractive in his eyes. No, he hasn't been staring at her all night; he'd occasionally glance over to see if she was still there. And she was. She seemed to know the bartender personally by the way they spoke to each other about their current lives. Perhaps he'd try his luck? Walking over to the other side of where she sat, he ordered himself a Midori sour and glanced at her.

"Not dancing? On a college campus? How odd." He commented.

She let out a chuckle and stirred the ice in her empty glass.

"Not my kind of scene. Especially not when I have been dragged out."

The bartender came back with his drink. He paid and took a sip; it was lip smacking...just like he liked it.

"So, I'm guessing you're not that into large crowds?"

"Mmm," she hummed. "I need to be in the mood. Otherwise, I stay in and read."

He blinked. Extending his hand, he introduced himself.

"I'm Neji."

She took his hand and offered a small smile.

"Tenten."

They say there for a moment, the music pounding on the speakers.

"You look like you could use a drink." He said after a while.

"I don't want to get too drunk. It'll be hard to walk back to the dorms in these heels." She gestured to the expensive looking black pumps she was wearing.

"I bet. Still, you can leave if need be. Unless you don't want to leave your friends." He mused.

The bartender chuckled. Tenten glanced at him and sighed. All she had to do was being her friends in, it was up to them how they got home or back to her dorm. Neji gave an amused look as he watched her think.

"So, sweet or hard?" He finally asked.

"Sweet." She replied.

Neji turned to the bartender and orders a Malibu. Tenten recovers the drink and smiled at the bartender.

"You said dorm, I assume you attend the university then."

"Yeah, I'm a third year engineering major." She replied.

"Oh, how interesting." Neji's eyebrows shot up.

"Is it really? I find it interesting as well."

Neji chuckled at her back talk. Taking a sip, he looked at her. Her face was a beautiful full shape with big brown eyes that were outlined with black liner. She had red lip gloss on her lips that seemed to be long lasting (he has a lot of females in his family...so make up is one thing he never heard the end of). Such a simple look and yet he can't help but look at her.

"I apologize," he said after a moment. "I sense your discomfort. I can't help but look at you."

Tenten took a sip and glanced at her bartender. He smiled at her and seemed to give her the "ok" that this guy was a gentleman.

"It's alright. I'm don't like being stared at." She said. "But I appreciate that you apologized. That's never happen before."

Neji hummed and finished his drink. Looking over he saw that she finished hers. They continued to drink. And drink. And drink. They weren't sloshed, but they were drunk enough to not be able to concentrate on one subject for too long of a time. They spoke about their current lives. More like it was Tenten who was talking and Neji sat here listening and commenting when the bun head asked for his opinion. But that was fine. The bartender actually joined in the conversation at one point when Tenten couldn't remember a specific detail. After a long while just talking, the bartender suggested that Tenten should head out if she wanted to beat the rush. Neji offered to take Tenten back to the dorms, which she agreed to. The bartender watched as the guy took his friend by the hand and led her out.

It was a bit chilly, so Neji had given his jacket to her. He held onto her tightly, knowing that the grounds were large and dark (currently). Campus security was by all the exits and entrances, checking IDs. They were fine, he had his ID, and she had her purse.

"Ah-"

He caught her. Cursing, Tenten stepped out of her heels.

"Sorry..." She said.

"It's alright, you are unsteady." He picked her up bridal style. "I got you."

Tenten didn't object. She let herself settle in his arms. After a while, he huffed.

"What's up?" She slurred.

"I don't think they're going to allow me in your dorms. But I want you to be safe in your room." He replied.

"Then take me to yours."

He paused. The alcohol made the process a tad bit slower, but he got it, definitely. So, he carried her to the other side of campus. Security didn't pay him any mind as he flashed his ID and walked into the building. When they got to his room, Neji closed the door and gently setting her down on the ground.

"How's your foot?" He asked.

"A bit sore, but I don't think it's broken." She replied. 

Neji looked at her. Her dress was short. If she moved her leg just a tiny bit he could see her underwear. Her bosom was beginning to pop out because she wasn't given a moment to adjust herself when she was being carried. She looked like a mess, though not in a bad way, oddly enough. Tenten slowly made her way to his bed and proceeded to sit herself upon the covers.

"What a night," she sighed placing her purse and shoes on the floor.

"A hot guy buys me drinks and I nearly break a limb." She murmured.

Neji chuckled and sat next her on the bed.

"Well, it's not broken. Though the beautiful girl allowed me to embrace her with conversation." He smiled.

"Heh, yeah." Tenten replied. "It was a pleasant conversation."

They were silent for a moment. Resisting was hard, especially when drunk, Neji thought to himself as he bit his lower lip. She leaned back, only to collide with his shoulder. He looked at her for a moment before reaching over and stroking her cheek. Next thing he knew he was on top of her, taking off that dress.

Then, well; He was too busy to actually narrate.

 

The next morning, she was woken up to the smell of food and coffee. Sitting up, the young woman yawned. The blanket had slipped and her bare torso was exposed to the room, and whoever was in it. She felt the bed shift and she blinked.

"Good morning." Neji greeted.

He had showered and was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. Tenten smiled a bit and ran a hand through her hair. She took a moment to take in her surroundings.

"I...uh." She blushed a bit when she finally realized she was naked under the bedsheets.

Neji put a hand on her leg. He went over to the dresser and pulled out a shirt and a pair of shorts. Throwing them at her, he said he was heating up a plate for her in the lounge, and to wait for him to come back. So, she did. She began to think. She hasn't seen him on campus before, which bothered her. It was a small college, so you saw everyone at least twice. Unless, he was just somebody she overlooked. It happens, Tenten thought. Genuinely, she never paid attention to anyone other than her friends. Perhaps, she would make a new one as good looking as he. She reached for her purse and checked her phone. A bunch of texts and three calls from her friends. Her phone was close to dying, she'd have to go back before her first class. Partying the night before the beginning of the spring semester isn't smart, but she wasn't dumb enough to take morning classes. She had a good six hours, enough time to gain some energy and charge her phone.

"Alright, careful... it's hot." Neji walked back in the room holding a plate that smelled like heaven and coffee that was probably freshly brewed.

She took the plate and mug from him. After eating, Tenten decided to go through the text messages. Ino had messaged her about some guy she was talking to. Then there was one about she'd be able to sneak into the dorms. The calls were from Sakura. She wasn't one to leave voice mails, but she was asking about her whereabouts...just checking in. The second call as her again, only saying that they were going to head to her dorm and will see her whenever she got back.

"At least one of them asked." Neji looked over her shoulder.

"I suppose. I just hope they didn't trash my dorm." Tenten shrugged.

Neji chuckled and put a hand on her cheek. He lightly kissed her lips. They were so soft, he thought. It wasn't his style to sleep with different girls from parties, but in a way he was happy this happened.

"I have class in a few hours." She stated.

"Oh?" He looked at her.

"Maybe I should head back." She hummed.

"Maybe you should...I'll walk you down." Neji said.

Walking down in a t-shirt, shorts, and heels was an odd sight. But it was college and weirder things have happened. Upon walking up to the door, he looked down at her and smiled.

"I'd like to see you again." He murmured.

"Mmmm, I'd like that." She grinned pressing her phone into his hands.

Neji pushed in his number and handed it back to her. He kissed her cheek and watched as she trekked back to the other dorms. Once she was out of sight, he trekked back to his dorm to gather his things.

He too had class in a few hours.

 

After showering, re-twisting her hair into twin buns. Ino and Sakura didn't ask where she went off to last night. They probably figured she was bunking at another friend's dorm since they were there.

"Guys, I got class in about twenty minutes. You can either stay or head home." Tenten said picking up her book bag.

"Mmmm, we'll stay. I have no reason to be home." Ino replied.

"Not gonna try to pass this class?"

"Nope. I'll take it again, no biggie."

Sakura grinned; she would be staying as well. Tenten shrugged and walked out of her dorm. She looked at her schedule, and sighed. They hadn't assigned a professor for her Statistics class yet, so she had no idea what to expect. Hopefully they aren't an ass, she thought as she walked into the building. taking a seat in the middle of the room she took out a book and began to read to pass the time. Glancing at her phone, it was time for class to begin. Pocketing the device she sighed as the professor walked into the room and didn't even look at them. He wrote his name on the board, and she still hadn't looked up from her book. Roll was being called and she paid no attention until she heard her name in a shocked tone.

"Hua...Tenten."

Her eyes shot up and met with ivory ones. They looked at each other for a moment. Tenten blinked a few times. What the hell?! She thought. Clearing his throat, he repeated her name and she slowly rose her hand.

For the rest of the class time she couldn't look him in the face without turning red. Neji, or professor Hyuga, stayed in the front of the room and gave his math lesson. When he turned to write something, she pulled out her phone and checked his contact. There it was; Hyuga Neji. The same guy she slept with last night and had no regrets about it. This gorgeous man was now lecturing math to her. She silently cursed to herself and chewed on her lip. By the end of class, he had asked her to stay behind.

"Well, I said I wanted to see you again and I guess this counts." He said erasing the board.

Tenten's eyes got wide and she shifted her weight awkwardly where she stood.

"You didn't mention...that you, uh...work here."

Neji cleared his throat, equally uncomfortable with the situation as she was.

"You...never asked. However, I partially blame myself for not saying anything..." He murmured.

"Wait a sec. I told you I was a student." She exclaimed, her eyes narrowed.

"Yes, but you are of age. And I didn't think you'd end up as my student." he admitted quietly.

"But your dorm...?" the young women looked at him curiously.

Neji scratched the back of his head.

"That's the instructors dorms. It's for those professors that are too far to drive, so we live on campus."

They looked at each other. Well...this was weird, Tenten groaned. After a moment he did take her hand. A small sigh escaped the professor's lips.

"I apologize," he looked at her in the face. "We were intoxicated, and I wasn't thinking straight. I moved on my own. I...understand if you wish to transfer out to another class."

Tenten pursed her lips.

"I assure you, you won't find a better instructor than I since I actually have a PhD in Math and degrees in various sciences unlike the others." He continued.

"I might get...distracted." She mused with a light blush gracing her cheeks.

A small feeling of relief hit Neji. She wasn't going to report him or make him feel like a complete ass.

"As will I-but since there is very minimum interaction-I am a lecturer anyway-it shouldn't be too bad." The professor pointed out.

Tenten shrugged. He glanced at the door to make sure that there was no one trekking along the hallway before gently cupping her face in his hands and kissing her lips. She didn't pull back, but she did jump a bit. Letting go, he sighed.

"As I said before, I'd like to see you again. And you do have my number."

The bun head blinked. He was incredibly hot, smart as hell, and actually wanted to see her again. Shaking her head, she looked at him.

"Am I promised a passing grade?"

"Mmmm, no. That's for your test grades to declare. However, you are promised tutoring when you need it...anytime you need it." He replied with a chuckle and subtle wink

Tenten grinned and rolled her eyes.

"Fair enough."


	12. His Mother

His Mother

 

All of their friends knew about the tragic past that Neji had endured. His father died to protect his twin brother and his family, Neji always thought that his father was forced to do it. But there was one thing that only Hinata and Team Gai knew about. This woman was rather odd, really. She was more of a house wife and people rarely saw her in the main house.

Well, the first day they were introduced to her, Tenten and Lee nearly made a scene. Here's how that went down;

Gai looked at his students. They sat in the grass, tired out from that day's "team bonding" exercise. They have been together for a few months now, Lee had adopted his green jump suit and leg warmers, Tenten was mastering her 100% accuracy…then Neji was Neji. Last month, Gai had ordered them to go visit each other at their homes to introduce themselves to each other's families. They had went to Tenten's house last week. Both boys and their sensei were greeted warmly to the Hua household. They learned that Tenten's family is originally not from Konoha, but from a small village outside of the River country. Her father was a shinobi and a blacksmith whose skills have caught the attention of kages from many lands . Her older brother had become a Jonnin and specialized in sword fighting. Her exotic look ran in her mother's genes, for she was a petite woman with tan skin and bright golden eyes; if Tenten were a bit shorter, she'd be almost identical to her mother. Lee's parents were very energetic, as predicted; well his parents were both ninja, his mother always made sure he was well fed and did his chores around the house. This time, it was Neji's turn.

"We'll be over around one." Tenten had told him.

"Very well. I will inform my mother." The Hyuga had replied before standing to head home.

Tenten and Lee exchanged looks, unsure about their home visit to a Hyuga branch member's home. Neji had a hard shell; he barely talked about his parents or his home life. In a way they thought he didn't like his living condition. That couldn't be true, they thought, Branch Hyuga's don't live in the main estate, so it wasn't like he was stuck socializing with his uncle all the time.

"We should bring something sweet." Lee suggested to Tenten. "Does he like sweet things?"

Tenten looked at him and cocked an eyebrow.

"He does….what made you think that I knew?"

Lee grinned. He noticed that they had been hanging around each other a lot. Tenten rolled her eyes; Just because she trained with him and hung out with him on their days off sometimes doesn't mean that-she blinked. Er, never mind…I guess I'm some kind of friend to him now, the weaponist thought as she bit her lip.

"I'll leave you now." Gai announced. "Please tell me about your visit. I admit I'm rather curious about Neji's home environment as well."

"Alright," Tenten murmured.

"Of course, sensei!" Lee exclaimed.

 

Tenten changed into her casual clothing. She had showered and was now re-twisting her hair into her two buns. She wanted to look a little presentable, so she put on some mascara and lip gloss. It was nothing major, but it was casual enough to look polished, just like how the Hyugas were meant to present themselves everyday. Walking down stairs, she called out to her mother and father that she'd be gone for a few hours. The bunhead walked into the living room and quickly glanced into the mirror that was hanging above the couch.

"To where?" Xiao-Lin asked looking up from her book.

"Neji's house. It's his turn to host." Tenten explained.

Xiao-Lin and Fei-Ten exchanged looks. Hyuga households were very stuffy and had a tense tone. Her father had dealings with the Hyugas before, being that he provides them with a custom arsenal.

"What?" Tenten asked noticing the looks on her parent's faces.

"Just mind yourself, Tenten. When Neji came over last time he seemed stiff. Just be prepared. Hyugas are very formal." Fei-ten told his daughter.

Tenten nodded before slipping on her shoes and leaving the house. She walked down the streets, around the shops, past the Hyuga main house (which she quickly glanced at before picking up speed to the other side of the village). All of the other branch members lived somewhat close to the main house; but not Neji. She found that very weird, however never thought to ask about it. Lee hadn't arrived yet, which meant that his mother made him do chores before leaving the house (perfectly understandable actually…). Tenten held her fist up to the door and before she could knock, Neji appeared in casual clothing and his usually stoic face. He invited her in, leading her to the living room. There were pictures on the walls of this young woman and man that was Neji's father. Neji was a baby when there were pictures with his father in it. Then after the age of four, it was just of Neji and that woman, but his expression had changed. Reaching the living room, Neji called out to the kitchen.

"Mother," he called. "One of my teammates has arrived."

That same woman in the pictures emerged from the kitchen, holding a tray of tea and snacks. She had Honey Blonde hair and green eyes. Her face was round and she was average height. Tenten glanced between her and her teammate. There wasn't any resemblance between them, she noticed. Neji touched Tenten's arm and gestured her to the white leather couch.

"So," the woman said. "You must be Tenten, right?"

The bun head nodded. So, he talks about us at home…

"And we're waiting on Rock Lee then, dear?"

"Yes, mother." Neji replied almost automatically.

Tenten sank into the couch. It was a bit awkward being in his house like this. She looked around, trying to take in her surroundings; it was Ninja 101-adapt to any situation. For some reason this was a bit difficult. Neji was sitting rather close to her for some reason. That's another thing that made her a bit uneasy since he doesn't normally do that….

"Well, I guess I'll introduce myself then; I'm Shizukana Hyuga, Neji's step-"

"Mother." Neji interrupted.

Shizukana looked at him. He held an alarmed face, as if it was evil she was spitting out at his teammate. Tenten looked at him curiously. So, this is his step-mother…. She thought.

"Anyway," the woman picked up a tea cup. "I hear your family is the Hua family."

"Uh, yes. How did you know that?" Tenten asked picking up her tea up.

"You're beautiful skin tone of course. As well as your looks over all; I only know one family in Konoha who looks like you." She replied with a smile.

Tenten's cheeks turned slightly pink at the compliment. She's so nice…why doesn't he talk about her? She glanced over at Neji.

"You've been keeping my Neji busy right? Must get tiring dealing with his temper tantrums…"

Neji huffed.

"Mother, I do not throw tantrums."

Shizukana and Tenten laughed, which caused the Hyuga prodigy to cross his arms over his chest. The conversations went on; Tenten was beginning to feel more comfortable in the house thanks to Neji's mother. She was witty, smart, and the complete opposite of the usual Hyuga. Sure she's met Hinata's mother, but Neji's was more…out spoken. She wondered how Neji was so reserved with having Shizukana as his care taker. An hour went by and Lee still hadn't shown up. But that was alright, they hadn't noticed.

Meow

Tenten looked at the back door that led outside. It was open to let in fresh air, but there were currently two small cats outside demanding attention from the humans. Neji excused himself and walked into the kitchen. He returned soon afterword with a small tray. The cats followed him to the other side of the yard. Shizukana sighed and smiled at Tenten.

"I'm guessing you caught on by now." She said.

Tenten looked at her.

"I'm not Neji's birth mother. She died when he was two years old; attacked, actually. Back when the Hyugas had issues with a gang from the Cloud village." She explained sipping her tea.

"Oh," Tenten replied.

Shizukana looked in the direction of where Neji went. His father remarried a few months after his wife died. He needed someone to care for Neji while he was serving the head branch and the village. He had married her, a civilian who was perfect house wife material. They met through Hiashi, strangely enough. Neji would never admit that Shizukana was his step mother. No matter how many times she tried to correct him, he'd refuse to give her that title. He always called her "mother". She was happy that he did, but she wished that he'd just accept that she wasn't there from the start. He knew she wasn't, but he didn't like to be reminded of it. After his father died, she was left with him. She'd be supported by Hiashi, who felt fully responsible, but was put away. She liked to think about it as the "other Hyuga".

"Other?" Tenten asked.

"My dear, you do know that there are Hyugas without the Byakugan right?" Shizukana asked.

"Er…no. I didn't know that."

Shizukana nodded. It was a dominate gene, the Byakugan. But sometimes some branch members get that recessive gene.

"Oh I see, so the Main branch has that pure dominate gene." Tenten said.

"Yes. Hiashi married his cousin who is also part of the main branch. Then you have Hinata and Hanabi. But it is up to Neji's uncle who becomes clan head. Then they will marry a cousin and so on and so on." Shizukana said.

"So then Neji…."

"Ah, well Neji is a pure bred Hyuga. His father married another branch member." Shizkuana said. "I may not be the first he fell in love with. But he brought Neji into this world, and for that I am grateful."

Tenten nodded. It made sense.

"I don't see any pictures of his mother anywhere." Tenten commented.

Shizukana stood and walked over to a stair case at the corner of the house. She disappeared upstairs for a moment before returning with a small picture frame. She handed it to Tenten before sitting back down. Tenten looked down. Neji's birth mother shared his family eyes. She had brown hair and pale skin. One think she noticed is that Neji had a lot of her facial features. In the photo, she was smiling. Tenten wondered if Neji would look the exact same way if he smiled.

"Mother I fed the ca-what are you doing?" Neji reached for the picture Tenten was holding.

The bun head glared at him and moved it out of his reach. He blinked at her, unsure of what to do.

"I'm learning about you, since you don't tell us anything." Tenten stated.

"It's not your business to know." He snapped.

The two teens glared at each other. Shizukana looked between the two. She remembered Neji talking about a girl with her hair in two buns that he never got along with in the academy. He had stopped talking about her after he was assigned to a cell; so she figured that she never saw her again. But now, looking at them, she realized that Tenten was that same girl that Neji didn't stop talking about back then. They had become teammates.

"It is her business to know." Shizukana replied.

"Mother-"

"She is your, teammate-your friend. You're stuck with her for the rest of your life like you're married. She should know about you; what happen. Stop being a brat and take a seat."

Neji pursed his lips together. After a moment he sat himself next to Tenten on the couch once more and didn't make eye contact with either of them. Well, this is a nice surprise. Tenten thought. He loved his step-mother, she noticed. He'd do anything she'd say-do anything for her. So, with that though, Tenten took a chance.

"It's safe to say the great Hyuga Neji a momma's boy, huh friend?"

Neji shot a cold glare at her. Tenten grinned, loving the new power she had over him. With his mother around, he can't say anything back without getting shut down….This is too good.

"Tsk," Neji had to bite his tonguw from replying.

The rest of the day was nice. Lee had shown up in time for dinner. Shizukana was a bit unprepared at the bowl cut hair's energetic personality. But at the same time he was very helpful when it came to cooking and dishes. That left Neji and Tenten on the couch together. While Lee was chatting up Shizukana, the pair was throwing stares at each other.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Tenten asked.

"Like I said, it was none of your business." He replied flatly.

"You mom had a point. You're stuck with me."

"Fate has a funny way of screwing me over." He shot back.

Tenten made a dramatic hand movement.

"Oh dear; Princess Hyuga is unhappy. What ever should I do?"

Neji poked her cheek. He sighed, unwilling to take her bait for an argument in fear of his mother interfering.

"If my destiny is to spend the rest of my life with you, then so be it. But, I refuse to answer any questions such as ones toward my family."

Tenten stuck her tongue out at him. They both knew that that wasn't going to happen. He knew her too well already. In the back of his mind, Neji actually looked forward to his future with his teammates. Even though they tried to keep prying into his life, it showed they cared and they wanted to be a part of it.

He guessed he could live with that.


	13. Sleepless Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A night where Tenten just couldn't sleep

She stared at the ceiling. It was probably her tenth try but she she was failing at making herself fall asleep. Maybe she shouldn't have taken that nap after she go home from her classes...Sighing, she rubbed her eyes. No, she definitely wanted to sleep, but her mind wasn't having any of that. Glancing over at her side table, she grabbed her phone.

2:37 am.

Well, fuck. She sucked her teeth.

Squinting at the screen, she lowered the brightness of her phone and checked her Facebook. Everyone was asleep. So she checked her Instagram. Once again, everyone was asleep. All the good night posts were up with the sleepy emojis.

"Mmmmmm..." She groaned.

She knew Lee was probably fast asleep, so there was no point in texting him. Plus he had posted one of his good night paragraphs that gave a rundown of his day and what the plan was for tomorrow. Gaara was up, but she didn't want to text him...the girls were asleep...who did that leave? Going to her messages, she typed in a greeting.

Within a few seconds she get a reply.

"What are you still doing up?"

Tenten blinked. So, she thought. He was up after all. She typed a reply.

"I was just about to head to sleep. Shouldn't you be knocked out?"

It wasn't like she had planned anything to do the next day.

"Have you tried tea?"

She huffed.

"Don't be lazy, Tenten."

The tea would just make her have to use the bathroom. Plus making it would be a hassle since she would have to try not to wake her parents.

"Fine. Have you tried to meditate?"

Rolling her eyes, Tenten typed her reply.

"Well, I'm not sure what to tell you."

She blinked for a moment. He wasn't much help but...

"I suppose I could stay up with you. I have nothing planned for tomorrow either."

She smiled a bit. But then what should they talk about?

"Well, what did you do today?"

Tenten hummed as she typed. In the morning she got her nails done with her mother, then she went out to lunch. Just to go home and take a nice nap for two hours.

"That nap screwed you over. As great as they are you take very long ones."

Tenten's eyebrow twitched; yeah, he would know. She would take naps at his house whenever she came over, but she was able to fall asleep later on.

"I ran some errands for my mother. My father came back from overseas so we went out to dinner and that was it."

Tenten twirled a braid. That would explain why he hadn't answered her all day.

"So..."

Her fingers hovered over the keys. This was that silence where she had to carry on the conversation. Hmmm...

"Did you study?"

Tenten blinked.

"For finals?"

Scoffing, she replied. Ever since she mysteriously passed math, all her other classes have been nothing but essays and projects. He obviously didn't need to study since he observed everything the first time. That made her irritated just thinking about it.

"You know you can ask for my help. It's not like I'm gonna charge you like the others."

Correction, she thought. He'd only charge of he had some mutual feeling about the other, or someone he considered a friend like Naruto or Lee. But if you didn't fit into those catagories, he won't give you the time of day. For her, though, being his best friend had its perks.

"You sure? You know I don't mind cause it's you."

Tenten smiled. His soft side is showing and she liked it.

"It is not. I'm just being nice"

She replied. His answer was a bit delayed.

"Yeah, yeah. I guess I am lucky that you 'put up with me'. I suppose to safe to say I'm lucky to have you as well."

She grinned. Then yawned. She liked where this was going.

"Don't you have cheer practice tomorrow?"

Tenten scoffed. She did but-

"Maybe you should try to sleep. Coffee can only do but so much."

Mr. Know it all... She thought. Instead of texting him back, she opened Snap Chat and turned on her lamp.

She received a snap back from him within seconds.

"So we re snapping now huh?" He had put with a picture of his book.

Tenten adjusted herself so she looked somewhat presentable under her lamp light.

"The braids look good on you." He had replied with a picture of himself looking down into the camera.

She smiled and quickly fixed her face. Think cute, she thought. Think cute.

"You look tired." Was the reply.

Damnit. So much for trying to be cute. She sent her reply.

"Don't pout at me, you're the one who can't sleep."

She grinned. True, very true. But she enjoyed how he would react to her faces. Tenten knew she was very expressive. And he was the one who sat there and felt with them.

"Starting to look tired." The caption said over a stoic face.

Oh that face. All the girl cooed over that face and she never understood why; he looked way more attractive when he smiled. She sent her reply with her cheeks puffed up.

"Turn off your lamp."

So she did; and snapped herself in the dark.

"Smart ass, close your eyes." He snapped back.

And so she did.

After a few moments her phone buzzed. He had snapped her again to see if she was still awake. But since she didn't reply, he guessed that she was finally out.

When Tenten woke up, she saw his snap along with a text of good night. Stretching, she swung her legs over and stood. Before heading to the bathroom she texted him:

"Good morning, Neji."


	14. The Bartender

He watched her as she sat at the far corner. Sure it was was busy night but there were other bartenders working around the bench. Most people stay in the middle, trying to get the dreamy bartenders to notice them and spill their thoughts as they drank their troubles away. But not her; she sat in her corner and casually sipped her cocktail with a bowl of nachos next to her for a snack. Occasionally she'd call him over to order another drink that she nursed for a few minutes before getting a new one.

"You know, most people who sit at the bar get drunk and end up talking about their issues." The bartender stated.

The young woman looked up at him with curious eyes.

"Well, seeing as though you have plenty of those kinds of people over there," she pointed to the middle of the bar. "I choose not to share my life with strangers. Especially since I like to come here a lot."

"I noticed. Once a week you're here and you either sit in this very spot or at that booth," he pointed to the other side of the bar. "With your friends."

She shrugged. It wasn't like she had anything better to do. But it did interest her that he recognized her.

"My name's Neji." The bartender said.

"Tenten." Came her reply.

Was he trying to pick her up? Doubt it. She wasn't extraordinary looking and she definitely wasn't going to give into the bartender's good looks. His hair was long and up in a pony tail. His eyes were a pearl color and he was muscular. Catching her eye, Neji smirked a bit.

"Is there anything you need?" He asked.

Tenten blinked and shook her head. Sipping her drink she looked around the bar. Tables were filled and the booths were occupied so she couldn't condone to her corner. Bars were meant to mingle and meet people; she had no intention of doing so. When she turned her head around, Neji was mixing a drink for some girl who stumbled forward. Tenten watched as he quickly poured and decorated the glass before turning his back to her.

"Aren't you supposed to socialize with people too?" She called out.

Neji wiped a glass clean before putting it below the counter.

"I don't have to. But my friends over here are more into chatting up the crowd. I just stand here, make drinks, and look pretty."

Tenten chuckled. Drowning her drink, she reached for the menu. But Neji grabbed from her hands.

"How about I choose this time?"

"Don't get me sloshed." She replied sternly.

Neji shook his head and dug out a bottle of blue liquid. He poured it into a cup and added a splash of Sweet and Sour before covering the cup with a metal one and shaking it. Taking out a martini glass, he poured the mix into it and set it in front of her. Tenten eyed it.

"Try it. It's sweet." Neji said.

Tenten took a sip. It was sweet...

"What is it?" She asked.

Neji reached under the bar and took out a small handful of candies.

"Blue Jolly Rancher with vodka and sweet and sour." He said.

Tenten licked her lips. It was delicious. Reaching for a candy, she unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth.

"After a few of those, the other flavors taste like cough syrup." Neji hummed as he fixed another customer a drink.

"Really?" Tenten replied.

The hot bartender (oh look, apparently he's "hot" now) placed a glass of water in front of her.

"So, what made you decide to come talk to me if you don't socialize with the guests?" Tenten asked.

Neji looked at her and hummed. She seemed a bit lonesome and out of place...and that interested him. Plus, he thought she was kinda cute with her hair up in the two panda buns. Tenten rolled her eyes, but laughed. He was being honest at least, she thought. Reaching for a nacho, she felt nothing but the paper that covered the bowl.

"Out of snacks?" Neji asked placing a drink in front of some young lady.

Tenten nodded.

"It's alright, I'm just gonna order another bowl and probably head home."

The pearly eyed man glanced at the clock while washing a few glasses in the sink behind the bar. It wasn't even eleven and she was ready to leave. Pulling out another bottle of pink and light blue liquid, he layered the two colors on top each other and handed it to her.

"Perhaps you could stay just a bit longer." Neji said.

"And how do you suppose I pay for these amazing drinks?" She asked crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well," he leaned over to her. "You could not go home and stay here a little longer. My personalized drinks so I charge as I please. If anything I'll drive you home."

Taking that as an invitation to have a free night of booze, Tenten nodded. The rest of the night consisted of both parties engaged in full conversation. Neji gave some basic background about himself, which intrigued Tenten. In return, she did the same. It was comfortable, she thought to herself. At times Neji did have to step away to put on a round or two of shots, but other then that his attention was fully on her. By a quarter to one and after many other drinks, Tenten was ready to leave.

"Alright," Neji said. "Let me tell my co-workers I'm taking my break. I'll be right back."

The bun head nodded. She wondered how drunk she was. Turning on the bar stool, she planted herself on the ground and felt her body sway. Oh shit, she thought. That's not good. Neji returned and helped her gather all her belongings.

"Ugh, my dad is going to kill me..." Tenten murmured as Neji helped her outside.

"You live with your parents?" The bartender asked.

Tenten shrugged. They owned a building with condos so she had a condo to herself, her brother live below her and her parents above. Neji blinked. She have a good amount of wealth then, he thought. He opened the car door for her in the passenger's side and helped her in. Settling himself in the driver's seat, Neji adjusted his mirrors.

"I promised I wouldn't hang around his bar too late-"

"Wait...you're father owns the bar?"

Tenten blinked, trying to process what he asked her. She slowly nodded before resting her head back.

"Surely you know where I live then since you've probably driven my father home before."

The pearl eyed man nodded before pursing his lips together. The bartenders took turns driving their boss home. In a way it clicked, he figured that she got fast service because of the fact that she was the owner's daughter. There was a lump in his throat. He was kind of flirting with her too...hopefully she doesn't say anything that could cost him his job. Glancing at her, he turned on the car. Nah, Neji thought. She didn't seem like that kind of person. Turning on his headlights, the Bartender moved out of his parking spot. The streets were quiet for the most part. The sidewalks were filled though; everyone going out to party. It was that kind of area. There were clubs and lounges, underground locations and late night diners. Pulling up to a red light, Neji pulled out his phone. Should he call his boss? It probably would be wise to tell him that he was escorting his daughter home. Nodding to himself, he pushed in the number.

"Everything alright, Hyuga?" His boss' voice sounded from the other line.

"Sir, I have your daughter with me. I'm taking her-"

"Tenten is with you? Oh thank god. She wasn't picking up her phone so I started to worry."

Neji sucked in a breath. His boss sounded so relieved, which was odd since he was a stern guy.

"Mr. Hua, I'll be there in about half an hour."

"Thank you, Neji."

Click.

Neji glanced back over at Tenten. Her head was against the window and her eyes were shut. He didn't want to wake her, but he didn't want to carry her inside her own house either. What an awkward position he was in... Rolling up to the three story building, Neji expected to see his boss outside. Instead it was an older woman who almost looked exactly like Tenten. She walked up to the car and smiled at him.

"Sorry for the trouble, Neji." She said softly.

"It's no problem at all." The Hyuga said getting out the car.

He figured that Tenten's mother wasn't going to carry her in, so he scooped the sleeping young woman into his arms and carried her inside. Tenten's mother led him upstairs to her daughter's apartment.

"The bedroom is the third door on the left." She said.

Neji nodded, but hesitated. He knew they trusted him; he had a good relationship with his boss. But this was just...he couldn't put it into words. He pushed the door open to Tenten's bedroom and place her on the bed. He took off her heels and wrapped her in a blanket.

"Huh..." He hummed looking around the room.

There were pictures of some friends and some trophies on the shelves. She played various sports, he observed. There were stuffed animals on a chair; a panda and a tiger. Neji chuckled a bit when he say the panda. The remark of her hair got an amusing reaction tonight. Blinking, he took her phone out of her purse. Since it was unlocked, he put in his phone number. And vise versa with his own phone. Just in case, he thought. Plus, she was pretty cute. Having a cute girl's number in his phone was definitely an ego buster. He turned on his flash and snapped a picture of her sleeping. He was totally going to tease her about it later. Exiting the apartment, he went down stairs and back to his car. Before turning it on he sent a quick text.

OOOOOOOoooooooOooooo

"How are you feeling?"

Tenten blinked. How did she get Neji's number last night? Rubbing her eyes she tried to think. He had said something about taking her home...and she fell asleep in his car...but how did she get his number?

"I'm alright." She replied.

Glancing at the clock, she yawned. It was almost noon. Her head wasn't pounding, which was awesome. Dragging herself out of bed, she went to go wash up. Perhaps she'd take a trip to the bar later. Getting out of the bathroom, she checked her phone. No reply.

"Is he busy?" Tenten hummed.

Checking the time he sent the text, she realized that it was sent last night.

"Probably asleep..."

Tenten made herself some breakfast and turned on the TV.

 

Neji was dressed and ready to go. He had called his mother earlier to say "hello" and made himself some food. He was just about to walk out the house when his boss asked him to drive his daughter to the bar and back home later that night. The Hyuga couldn't say no...but he didn't want to say no, so he dashed out his apartment and jumped in his car.

Tenten was waiting outside in her white crop top and red leggings with a silver flower design. Her heels were black today, he noticed as he pulled up to the stoop. He whistled to her out the window of the passenger side. The bun head rolled her eyes and seated herself.

"Hi," he greeted.

She looked at him. His hair was down and his forehead was covered with a blue headband. It was a good look on him, she thought.

"Thanks for last night." Tenten said.

"You're welcome." Came his reply as he pulled out from his parking spot.


	15. Sleepless Night II

Neji pulled a towel over his head as he walked out of the bath. He needed a long one after a long afternoon of track practice. Combing his hair, he glanced at the clock on his desk. It was nearly one in the morning and he was weirdly wide awake. His phone was sitting idling beside his bedside table; perhaps he could see who is awake. A bunch of his friends stayed up way past the deepest hours of the night, however, Neji didn't feel like taking part in their group chat (to which he had on mute for the past week). Humming to himself, he scrolled through his contacts and found his best friend's name. She had decorated her ID with a red heart and a panda emoji. Swiftly, he sent her a text.

"Yeah...why?" Came her response in less than a minute.

Oh, she was awake. He sent her a reply.

"Obviously, genius."

Rolling his eyes, he sat himself on his bed. His phone buzzed and showed she sent him a snap. Her face was half covered by her pillow and her hair was in braids.

"What do you want?" Was the caption.

Smirking, he decided to go to his contacts and FaceTime her. It rang a few times before she picked up. Tenten appeared on his screen, squinting. She had rolled onto her back and rubbed her eyes.

"What?" She asked, her headphones in her ears.

"I just wanted your company. Is that a crime?" He replied.

Tenten's eyebrows shot to her forehead.

"To what do I owe this rare form of communication from you, oh princess?" She drawled.

Neji sucked his teeth and proceeded to run his fingers through his freshly combed hair. He noticed Tenten watching him intensely as he swiped his hair back from his face.

"You know," she blinked." I never understood why you never started dating. You have enough girls at school who would die to be yours."

Neji looked directly into the screen.

"I have no interest in any of them." He replied flatly.

"Now that I think about it...I'm the only girl you actually hang out with besides your younger cousin." She continued.

"Yeah, and?" He replied standing up.

Tenten eyed him. He watched-from the corner of his eye- she took a good look at his bare torso. A smirk came to his face.

"Never seen a naked man before?" He asked.

"Idiot," Tenten hissed. "I just realized you weren't wearing anything."

"And you're staring."

"Of course." She grinned. "Is staring such a crime?"

Neji shook his head amusingly. He started to notice a slight change in her mannerisms as of late. She would stand closer to him whenever they walked together, her smiles became brighter, and whenever he would put his hand on her shoulder, or her back, Tenten's eyes would widen for a split second before turning her head. All these signs, he thought, it was unlike her. Once, when they had went to their usual park space to hang out, he had to catch her when she jumped from a high tree branch. She clung onto his neck and her face turned a light pink color when he asked if she was alright.

"And yet, whenever I look at you, you turn your head." He stated with a hum.

Tenten rolled her eyes which caused the Hyuga teen to let out a chuckle. Well, that hasn't changed. The screen shifted as Tenten sat up. Her tank top had a low-cut neck dip which began to sag. Neji's eyes widened a bit and he pursed his lips together; she didn't wear a bra to bed.

"What's with that face?" She asked clearing her throat.

"I...nothing." He replied.

Tenten watched as the screen moved. She figured he was finally getting some pants on. Neji placed his phone on the tripod, to which gave Tenten a good view of his torso. He rummaged through his drawers.

"So, what's the big reason you're up so late?" She asked.

Neji looked at his phone and shrugged. He just couldn't fall asleep. It was a pretty easy day, so he guessed that was the reason why he didn't knock out. So, Tenten asked about his day. His torso dipped on the screen. He was probably pulling up his boxers. Earlier in the morning, he had helped his step-mother clean the house. Then, he had to run to Hinata's house to help his youngest cousin, Hanabi, with her school project. While he was there, his uncle had him assist with some paperwork from the family company; that took a few hours...

"I also met up with the guys." He added grabbing some sweat pants.

"Mmmm," Tenten hummed, still slightly distracted by his toned muscles that slightly flexed as he moved.

"Destroyed them at the arcade, went out to eat...ended up going to a party. Sasuke and I ended up leaving early-"

"Why? Did it suck?" She asked playing with her braid.

"Well, you know I'm not much of a party person, Ten. If I'm not with you or Lee-I really don't see the reason in going."

Tenten giggled. Of course, the great Hyuga Neji never liked parties. Well, no...that's a lie. He didn't like the people who ended up going to these parties. Tenten was usually the only sober company he had. Or if she wanted to get wasted, he'd just follow her around until he had to take her home (but that was on the rare occasion). At parties, they'd sit and observe. The pair found amusement in narrating other's lives as they watched their surroundings.

"I haven't gotten shit faced in a while." Tenten stated.

Neji grabbed his phone off the tripod and proceeded to walk over to his bed.

"Well, I still have that bottle of plum sake here from the last time."

"Oh, and my brother just got back from America. He got a bottle of silver tequila." Tenten said.

Shaking his head, the Hyuga teen sighed. That was another thing; they only got drunk at his house. His step-mother knew they wouldn't trash the place, so it's not like she'd have to worry about them. Although, there was one time she had left a box of condoms near the couch for him. The teen had to thoroughly explain to her that he wasn't sleeping with Tenten. His step-mother merely winked at him and told him that he never knew when it would happen...but at the rate they're going it might. Neji had pushed that thought out of his mind as quickly as it surfaced.

"I didn't get what she meant at the time, but now I just laugh at it." Tenten grinned. "Besides, who wouldn't want to sleep with you? I surely wouldn't mind."

Neji blinked. Did she just... He tilted his head at her.

"Are you implying that you'd sleep with me, Tenten?"

Tenten hummed. Sure she would, she replied rather matter-a-factly. That's when she winked at him. Neji's Adam's Apple bobbed as he just looked at her.

"Have you slept with anyone before?" He dared to ask.

"Yeah, Sasuke."

Neji dropped his phone onto his wooden floor. He couldn't believe it. Uchiha? Really? How did he not hear about it? Better yet, why the hell did it happen? That moody kid had the audacity to lay a finger on his best friend! To top it of, she was so causal about it.

"Neji? Neji!" Her voice sounded from the phone.

His lips now in a thin line, he picked his phone back up. Tenten tilted her head slightly as she tried to study his face through the screen.

"So," Neji gritted his teeth. "When did that happen?"

Tenten hummed. It was a few months ago, she told him. She couldn't quite remember how they ended up doing it; she thinks it happen at a party they attended...but it did happen and it wasn't a big deal. At this, the Hyuga glared at the screen. Not a big deal? It was totally a big deal! His best friend slept with Uchiha Sasuke, his underclassmen shadow, and didn't even bother to tell him.

"Neji, relax. It's already over and done with. No need to get your panties in a twist." Tenten grumbled.

The Hyuga let out a huff. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he told her to never do that again. Tenten laughed; why did it matter so much to him? Who knew. However, she assured him that she had no intention of connecting to the Uchiha boy again. Like, at all. And yet-that still bothered him. Neji laid back on his pillows and looked at the ceiling. Damn, he thought. That was utterly uncalled for. There was a little moment of silence between them. When he glanced at the screen, he saw that she said set up her pink pillows behind her back. The Hyuga was now looking up at her at a slight angle as she fixed her braids. He let out a sigh. Just looking at her made him realize that, perhaps, he shouldn't be surprised that she was now sexually active. She had big brown eyes that sparkled gold when the light hit them. Her heads were small but her fingers were long and slender. She had a button nose that would scrunch up cutely whenever she got annoyed. She had full lips and a small waist with hips that gave her an hourglass figure. And her legs, he clenched his jaw. She had always been taller than him. At least until he started his growth spurts. Even though he towered over her now, he was certain that her legs could wrap around him twice.

And Uchiha Sasuke touched all of her.

"You're not jealous are you?" She chirped.

Neji scoffed. Turning his head from the screen he shook his head. Jealous? Yeah, right.

"You totally are." Tenten laughed. "Oh man-"

"I can assure you, I am far from jealous, Tenten."

"Yeah, and I'm the queen of England." She grinned. "Awww, that's cute."

Neji rolled his eyes as he felt a blush creep up onto his cheeks. Flaring is nostrils, he looked back at the screen. Tenten had grabbed what seemed to be a tablet of some kind and was swiping vigorously through it.

"What are you doing?" He asked after a while.

"Looking through Facebook. Turns out, we're not the only ones awake. Plus, I'm stuck in a group chat with the girls." She sighed.

"Ah," he replied slightly uninterested. "Just remove yourself from the chat."

At this she shrugged.

"This is how I catch up on whatever drama the girls have concocted."

Neji exhaled. Her attention redirected to her phone.

"Besides, they'd come at me at school for leaving the chat." She added with a yawn.

Neji gave a small smile as Tenten smacked her lips together.

"Should I let you sleep?" He asked softly.

Tenten shrugged. It wasn't like she had anything planned for the day. Sleeping could wait if he really couldn't knock out, she told him. Shaking his head, the Hyuga told her to not wait up on him anymore. He wished her good night before letting his head sink into the cushions. After a moment of silence, Neji unlocked his phone.

"So, I heard you slept with my best friend..." He sent over text.


	16. Sleepless Night II-2

Neji tapped on the side of his phone. Sasuke was taking his sweet time replying to him. The Uchiha wasn't asleep; that kid usually stayed up until the wee-hours of the morning during the weekends either playing Overwatch with Naruto or League of Legends with Shikamau. Plus, that bastard left him on "Read". The Hyuga still couldn't wrap his mind around what Tenten had told him. First off, what party did she go to that he was not invited to? You do not invite Hua Tenten without inviting Hyuga Neji; that's not how this worked. And secondly, how in the hell could she be so nonchalant about something like this? Blowing a raspberry, Neji resorted to chewing on a lock of hair. "Over and done with," she had told him; no, this was not "over and done with" this was far from that. Inhaling sharply, he figured he was the last person to know about this. There was no way that Uchiha kept something like that to himself. His arrogant attitude was the perfect setup for bragging to his friends that he slept with an upperclassmen. That ticked him off even more...his eyes squinted as three dots appeared on the lower left hand side of the message screen, expecting a sharp reply from the Uchiha.

"Alright you bastard...what do you have to say for yourself…?" The Hyuga grumbled.

"Yeah. What of it?" Came the reply.

The Hyuga's eyebrow twitched. He had to take a breath; inhale…exhale. He had to come off as if it was just a casual discussion-like it was usual friend talk-he wasn't instigating; oh no, no, no, no! He was just...curious (he tried to convince itself he was curious at least) about how the whole thing happened. He wanted to make sure that it wasn't some stupid dare that most party games end up becoming. Plus, he wanted to see if the Uchiha would give him more information since he knew Tenten wasn't going to elaborate. Sending a smooth reply, Neji pursed his lips together. The response came quicker this time.

"Oh, she did tell you?"

The Hyuga hummed. What was that supposed to mean? Of course she did. They were best friends.

"Oh…"

That's it? Just a one worded response? No tease, no jabs? Neji hovered his hands over the screen. He had to be careful with this next question so it didn't make it seem as though he was coming off as jealous. Hitting send, he laid his phone on his lap and rubbed his eyes. Perhaps this should've waited until they actually saw each other in person, he thought. That way he could get the Uchiha's tone of speech and mannerisms. Texting about this was a bit tedious for him, but he didn't want to be too forward. If he pushed this, Sasuke would definitely tell Tenten, and she'd start fussing at him for digging into her business. Now that he thought about it, Tenten was very quick to dismiss that conversation. It was as if he wasn't supposed to know in the first place. But this is where he was kicking himself; he was the one who asked if she had ever slept with anyone to begin with. Granted it was an honest question, and deep down he was hoping the answer was no. Clenching his jaw, he breathed outward with force. Of all people though...Uchiha Sasuke? Really? His phone vibrated.

"It was a hit it and quit it type of thing. Nothing came after it."

For some reason that answer ticked the Hyuga off. That was all she was to him? He never understood how someone could sleep with another and not feel some kind of connection afterward. So, that was it then? Tenten was just some girl he managed to bang and forget about the next day? Disgusting, he thought. Before he replied, Sasuke texted back.

"You're jealous."

Neji huffed. No, he wasn't. He just didn't like to be the last person to know what was going on in his best friends life. And the way Sasuke explained to him, showed that is was nothing more than an empty encounter. Which bothered him to some extent. She had told him that she would sleep with him, but would it be in the same light that she slept with the Uchiha? He wasn't sure he was ready for something like that.

"Oh shit…" Neji mumbled as something clicked.

He was indeed jealous. Looking down at his phone, he realized that he left the Uchiha on "read" for a suspiciously long period of time. So what if it? He could be jealous that his best friend got laid before he did. He could be jealous that she could feel so nonchalant about it where he would probably drag his feeling out. This wasn't just about Tenten.

"No." More dots appeared. "You like her, don't you?"

The Hyuga paused. And more dots appeared.

"That's why you're making a big deal out of this. You're jealous that I slept with your girl before you got to her first."

In his mind, he could imagine the Uchiha laughing at his phone as he typed that response. He had no idea what he was talking about. He was a loyal, protective best friend who just wanted to get more information on the situation. Why should he care that Sasuke got to her first? What did that even mean? If Tenten slept with other guys before that it wouldn't matter too much to him. Okay, that was a lie and he knew it-but it was worth trying to convince himself of that.

"Listen, you can have her. Tenten and I are just really good friends. I'm not out for your girl, I'm not gonna steal her from you or anything like that. I'm not that low."

Oh, but how could Neji trust that? If t happened awhile ago why didn't they say anything when it happen? Why would Tenten be embarrassed about it if she said it to casually before? Realizing that his emotions were beginning to spew from his chest, Neji put his phone back down on his lap and put his face in his hands. Once he got his breathing under control again, he picked up his phone and sent a message.

"Probably because she knew you'd overreact if she told you...like you are now."

Three dots appeared once more.

"And no, nobody else knows."

At least that gave him some relief. What a mess, Neji thought. As long as nobody else knows, he supposed he could live with it. It's not like he had a choice anyway…A text popped up.

"I'm gonna go back to my Xbox."

And another.

"If you're that worried about it. Why don't you just tell her you like her and you don't have to worry about it any more?"

Point, Neji mused.

"I'm not gonna lie, Tenten is a great girl. I can see how others would find her attractive and this situation is a bit silly to confront me about since you know me well enough not to be an asshole about this type of nonsense. Do you honestly think if I wanted to make a scene I would've? Get over it man."

Another point. Sasuke avoided pointless arguments and conversations. Sucking his teeth, he decided to end the conversation there. Leaving the Uchiha on "read" was probably best for his sanity at the moment. Plus he was still a bit salty

OOoOoooooOOoOoOoOooOoooOoO

Sasuke hummed as he looked at his phone. No reply, he thought. Replacing his head set over his ears, he called out to Naruto to join his team for another round. The Blonde responded happily as they waited for other party members to join their squad. Sipping at his soda, the Uchiha thought about how he should've handled that situation differently. There were definitely some things he did not tell Neji. And he bet the Hyuga would be knocking on his door if Tenten had told him as well. However, since it was simply through text, the bun head had failed to tell the Hyuga something that could possibly ruin their friendship for good.

"A team with no healer! Are these guys insane?" Naruto's voice echoed in his ears.

Sasuke grunted in response and held his controller firmly on his lap. In a way he didn't think the topic would've came up. What the hell were they talking about that it came up? It was possible that the Hyuga had known something was up and finally worked up the guts to say something. But he didn't think that was it since Tenten had kept quiet about it for a while...plus the Hyuga wasn't even at that party. How did he know she hadn't said anything to him before? Well, Sasuke had taken it upon himself to continue to talk to the Chinese girl after they did the dirty. He'd meet up with her after some of her classes or even after school to hang out. Sasuke had made it a point to make sure that everything was cool between them and there was no suspicious tension whenever they were with the group. And even the Uchiha was shocked to find out that she had thought about the situation more subtly that he did. At that, Neji had some right to be a bit on his guard. She even shocked Sasuke when they talked about it the next day it happen. They had come to an agreement to not say anything. And, he inhaled, if it were to happen again, she'd need to put him in his place. The possibility of it happening again was quite low. However, it was their choice to sleep with each other in the first place with no alcohol added. Yes, he thought. If Neji knew that they slept together while sober, he would hunt down the Uchiha for sure. To think that alcohol would have probably made a difference was quite irresponsible of him, but it was the best, unspoken excuse the Hyuga would definitely accept.

"Yo, Sasuke. You alright?"

Sasuke loosened his grip on the controller.

"You're playing loner again when we need you by the transport."

Sighing, Sasuke shifted his attention to the objective of the mission.

"Relax, I caught a few of the others hiding out." The Uchiha replied in a cool tone.

"You were also gone for a while before. What was that about?"

Sucking his teeth, Sasuke quickly glanced at his locked phone.

"It's nothing. I just stepped away from the t.v. for a few."

"But-"

"Let it go, Naruto...and watch this Road Hog to your left-"

"Oh fuck!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Perhaps it was wrong of him to invite her to the party. He only invited her in the first place because he needed an upperclassmen for show. And since Tenten is always down to have a good time, she agreed. In a way he couldn't really help himself. Her hair was down in curls and her crop top hugged her upper torso, showed off that nice figure that he couldn't help but look at. To top it off, she wore black leather leggings that made her thighs look great and heels. They had danced, they played some games, but it wasn't until right before they were ready to leave that Sasuke pulled her up the stairs and into one of the vacant bedrooms. She didn't push him off or verbally reject him. In fact, he actually asked her if it would be weird to sleep with him. Sasuke was pleasantly surprised when she smiled and shrugged her shoulders, thus initiating their sex. After the fact, he realized, wasn't as odd as he thought it was at the time. He led her out of the party by the hand and they walked to her car where she dropped him off at home. The next morning, he had sent her a text to which she replied almost instantly. That was normal wasn't it? It's a thing that friends do, he supposed.

"Ugh, our team sucks ass…" Naruto groaned from the head set.

"Keep up with me, fool." Sasuke replied.

Yeah, it was no big deal. The Uchiha shrugged his shoulders and he picked up his phone. He sent a quick text to the Hyuga, not caring if he saw it or not and threw his phone on his bed.


	17. Evolution

Tenten skipped her way through the Hyuga compound while holding her father's hand. Whenever Fei-Ten was commissioned by the Hyuga head, he would always bring his daughter to the compound to deliver the goods. Lord Hiashi never minded, in fact he found it impressive that the little girl had mastered the basic skills of the kunai at such a young age of three. Was it unusual for a three year old to handle sharp objects? Indeed it was, however Tenten would always be sitting on her father's lap as he polished blades and watched as her older brother practiced his sword fighting. So, it kind of ran in the family. Tenten looked around the compound; the courtyard was pretty full of Hyuga children who were chasing each other around or kicking a ball. She was looking for one Hyuga in particular, though.

"Tenten, get ready to greet Lord Hyuga." Her father said looking down at her.

"Okay, daddy." She replied with a bright smile.

The Hua man gently tapped on a sliding door. Once he was granted access to the room, he handed the package over to his daughter. It was a sword that was specially commissioned as a gift. Tenten hummed as she struggled to keep the swords from slipping out of her arms. It was way bigger than she was and heavier than she thought it was going to be. She wondered why her father had made it so heavy. Don't most ninja prefer light weapons for speed and easy transport? Fei-Ten opened the sliding doors and moved a side so Tenten could wobble in. Lord Hiashi was not alone, she noticed as she walked over to a cushion near the tea table. It was Lord Hiashi's twin brother, Hizashi. Bowing slightly, the father and daughter duo took a seat.

"Ah, good to see you two." Lord Hiashi greeted.

"Yes, likewise." Fei-Ten replied.

Hizashi poured some tea for the two of them and they began their idle chit-chat. Tenten wasn't really interested in whatever they were talking about. She sipped at her tea and tired to listen outside for a familiar voice...but it never came. She began to play with the string that was wrapped around the packaged sword. Hopefully her father will allow her to stay and look for her friend. Wait, was he her friend? They would always talk and play together whenever she'd come to the compound. Hizashi noticed the little girl becoming distracted and asked Tenten about her studying.

"I can throw two kunai in a row now." Tenten replied cheerfully. "Not too far like my big brother though."

Hizashi chuckled. Yes, for a young girl her strength was not at its peak. He had recalled asking Fei-Ten why he had her start her training so early. The reply came with a shrug; saying that she had just picked it up on her own as she watched everyone around her. Lord Hiashi was very impressed indeed. Asking to see the sword, he watched as Tenten stood and struggled a bit to lift it. The little girl carefully walked around the tea table and laid it down next to the Hyuga Lord. She unwrapped the packaging and string. Lord Hyuga reached over and grabbed the handle. Tenten took a few steps back as he pulled it from his casing.

"I would expect nothing less from the Konoha blacksmith. Your crafting is truly a gift." Lord Hiashi said as he inspected the blade.

Fei-Ten smiled softly, humbled by the Lord's words. "You say this every time I bring you a new piece, Lord Hyuga."

Hiashi put the sword back in its casing and resumed to sip at his tea. After a moment, he had noticed that the little bun head girl was not sitting on her cushion, but near the sliding doors.

"Tenten,"

She jumped and turned around. How did they not notice her move? The Hyuga Lord hummed as he watched her cheeks turn pink from embarrassment.

"He is in the garden." The Lord's twin told her.

The bun head bowed before dashing from the room. She waved to the Hyuga guards that walked about the corridors and the maids that she passed. She smiled at Hinata, a two year old girl, and their mother who were taking a stroll through the compound. When she reached the far west end of the area, Tenten hopped along some stepping stones into a lush garden. Looking around, the blacksmith's daughter hummed. Where was he? Maybe he walked past her and she didn't notice? Then, she heard movement. He was here, she just needed to find him. Last time, she thought, he was sitting near the koi pond that was settled under a cherry tree. The crunching she heard came from the other direction, near the flower beds. Deciding on that destination, she slowly made her way over. And here he was; lying near the flower beds looking up at the sky. Tenten crept over, carefully stepping on the grass so her feet didn't make a sound.

"I know you're here." He stated.

"I was looking for you when I came." Tenten stated, sitting down next to him.

"Were you?" Came the reply.

The Hyuga boy was looking up. His pearly orbs reflected the bright blue hue of the sky. Tenten asked what he was looking at. The boy replied that he was just thinking about some things. The bunhead knew that if she had asked more questions, he'd just tell her to mind her own business. So, she laid back into the grass and looked up at sky with him. There was a moment of brief silence before he turned to her.

"What did you bring over this time?" He asked.

Tenten shrugged. A big sword in a case instead of a sheath. It was bigger than her and heavier than what they would usually bring over. For this sword, her father didn't let her help make since she was too small and he didn't want her to get hurt. But, she huffed, all the other weapons they had made for the Hyuga Leader she had helped make. She'd polish the blade and pick the style of handle and sheath. She'd help clean up the scrap steel with her father and tidy up; Tenten felt like she was a very big help to her father. The Hyuga boy hummed, wondering if he'd ever get into weapons. He was being trained in his family's secret techniques that relied more on hand to hand combat than fighting from a distance. Perhaps he could try to, but would he have the time? Maybe not….

"Hey, Neji," Tenten turned her lead to look at him. "Do you think we'd be on the same team? Like after the academy?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure how that works, though." He replied.

Tenten blinked and turned back to the sky. Being on his team would be great, she thought. He was her friend after all. Even if they weren't on the same team, she was sure they would still see each other.

"I'd like to be on the same team as you." She smiled.

Neji nodded. He would like that as well.

 

Tenten sat in her desk chair with a disgruntled look on her face. Their sensei had sat them alphabetically today, which means she had to sit with someone who came after "Hu" and that person just so happens to be Neji. To think she'd be stuck sitting next to his grumpy self for the whole year. As a matter of fact, she didn't even think they'd be in the same class this year, since it was their last year in the academy. The Hyuga had become so bitter to everyone around him; his stoic face would turn sour as soon as someone (who wasn't the teacher) approached him. Granted, all she received was a blank stare and a grunt-which was a step up from what everyone else was getting-but, she didn't appreciate his attitude to her friends; especially toward Rock Lee. He was so quick to shoot him down and call him out on his failures. The kid already knew he couldn't do anything but Taijutsu, so why bring him down more when he's obviously trying? Ever since his father died, Neji had changed in the worse way. He'd always prefer to be alone and shoo her off whenever she'd deliver a commission to the Hyuga compound. He was rude to his younger cousin, Hinata, and she couldn't stand it!

"And now, regarding your team assignments…" their sensei held up a clip board. "I still have some moving around to do, you will receive them after lunch."

Tenten stood and walked over to the other row. She smiled down at Lee and they walked out to the yard with their lunches. Sitting by a bench, Tenten hummed happily as she opened her bento.

"I hope you and I are on the same team," Rock Lee chirped. "That would be most delightful."

"For sure. Since you're strong in hand to hand combat, I can back you up with my blades." Tenten replied.

The two sat there fantasizing about what their adventures would be like; they'd travel out of the Land of fire, save a princess or two, and maybe even capture thieves and traitors. It sounded like a typical mission log for a high ranked Jonnin, but Tenten wanted to be part of the ANBU black ops like her father. He had joined after Tenten had started the academy. Fei-Ten would come home after weeks...even months with stories and little keepsakes from all the places he'd been. To top it all off, she wanted to be like the legendary Lady Tsunade.

"You have been obsessing over her for a long time." Lee stated. "Perhaps you should add 'meet Lady Tsunade' to your list."

Tenten smiled brightly. Of course she wanted to meet her! That was number one on her list. They talked more about how they would plan out their careers with high hopes of being successful. Within earshot, Neji was sitting with his own lunch. Upon the mention of the legendary sannin, he couldn't help but roll his eyes. Tenten had this fantasy ever since she was in the all girl's class at the academy. The Hyuga knew, however, she would not be like her. Tenten was not strong enough and had no talents in medical ninjutsu yet. And why would she throw away her amazing weapons to summon a giant slug and run away from the village she was born in, never to return? Mindless plans, he thought.

"Don't roll your eyes at us, Neji!"

The Hyuga grunted. She had saw him and was ready to argue, he sighed. Looking at her, he shook his head. Her dreams were a bit too out of her reach. Did she honestly think that she'd be able to gain that amount of strength? If she were smart, she'd set a more realistic goal of mastering her own strengths instead of trying to copy another person's unique abilities. It was childish of her to not see the reality of it all and frankly, he'd just laugh at her if she actually tried and failed, since he was certain of it and was usually never wrong. Rock Lee's mouth dropped open. In a matter of seconds, Hyuga Neji killed her dreams. Tenten walked over to him, her face heated. How dare he! What did he know? She would definitely become strong like her idol and then some!

"I hope to God I'm not put on the same squad as you! You're so pessimistic and you are so quick to put everyone down! How dare you! I don't even know why I bother talking to you in the first place! All year you've been like this! I'm sick of it. Stay out of my way, Hyuga. Those who bring down others are lower than trash; that makes you scum." She exclaimed before walking back to Rock Lee.

Neji blinked and watched her with wide eyes as she stomped back over to her lunch spot. Not only did she yell at him, she called him a scumbag. All year she had dealt with him and his attitude and now, she was sick and tired of it. He had hit one of her buttons too hard and now he possibly made the only person he didn't mind having around often dislike him. For a prodigy, he was kind of an idiot.

 

Tenten blinked as she looked over at her teammate. What did he just ask her? She thought the words "I need your help to protect my blind spot" came out of his mouth but the bunhead wasn't quite sure. Leaning against the infirmary's wall, the weapons specialist cocked an eyebrow at him. So, the great Hyuga Neji was asking for her help. This was scoff-worthy, she thought. He worked alone; training with her would only slow him down, as stated earlier in their career. However, after getting his ass whooped by Naruto must have clicked his head on correctly and fixed his distasteful attitude. Besides, she had come up to check to make sure he wasn't sulking about losing. Shoving her hands in her pockets, the bunhead asked what was in it for her.

"You've already trained with me to develop the Rotation. I believe it will be beneficial for both of us if we continued to train together and formed some kind of partnership." The Hyuga stated.

Tenten lifted her chin and smirked. He was trying to reason with her. Her ego certainly inflated that day, and as both of them knew, Tenten was the only one who could keep up with Neji. The Hyuga eyed her curiously, unsure of what to make of her expression. He was genuinely asking for her help and putting his life into her hands. They were both still gennin; they would be teamed up almost all the time for missions if they prove to be compatible as partners and complete tasks that they were given. Even before his request it has showed in the past missions that they have gone on that Tenten was most suited to be at his side during battle, rather than Lee, who got ahead of himself and usually ran off on his own. Plus, the responsibility of his blind spot should be put in the hands of someone who can battle at a distance...to protect and kill silently. Tenten walked over to the bed and sat herself next to him. She got close to his face and looked into his eyes. Neji held his breath, a bit confused as to what she was looking for. After a moment, the bunhead crossed her legs and leaned back against her palms.

"Fine." She said. "I suppose we'll both get stronger from this. But, you have to be nice to me from now on. No more attitude!"

Neji released his breath.

Deal.

 

"You're going after him?!" Tenten exclaimed.

"It's an order from Lady Tsunade. It's not like I want to." Neji replied as they hopped from rooftop to rooftop.

Sasuke had made a break from the village. It was Sakura and Kakashi who had ran into the Hokage's office to deliver the news that he had made a run for it with a bunch of Sound Ninja. Neji and Tenten had just returned from a low ranked mission when Lady Tsunade ordered the Hyuga to link up with Shikamaru, Naruto, Kiba, and Choji to go fetch the Uchiha. Tenten, was to stay behind (much to her dissatisfaction). She had gotten used to going on missions with the Hyuga and-she had to admit-they made a dangerous pair. Neji stopped on the rooftop near the front gates. It seemed as though only Shikamaru and Naruto had shown up quickly. The prodigy turned to the weapons specialist.

"I will be back." He told her.

Tenten nodded. "Watch yourself, Neji. I won't be there to have your back. Come back to me alive and in one piece."

The Hyuga nodded. Reaching out, he placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly before hopping down and joining Shikamaru and Naruto. Tenten watched over head, waiting until he left the gates. A pit had materialized in her chest as she sat herself on the roof; she had a bad feeling about this.

"So, you two have gotten close." Shikamaru hummed. "You and Tenten, I mean."

"She's a great fighting partner and my best friend. This was just unexpected...so naturally she'd worry." Neji replied as he reached into his back pouch and checked his kunai supply. A small smile graced his lips and he glanced over at the rooftop where she sat. She had restocked his pouch without him noticing.

"So, what's up with that then? She's not coming with us?" Naruto asked.

"We could use a long range fighter with us." Shikamaru added.

Neji shook his head. Lady Tsunade only sent him; if it were up to himself, he would make her stay here where it is safe anyway. Dealing with sound ninja sounded like more trouble than it was worth and he didn't want to drag Tenten into danger that she could've avoided in the first place. Kiba and Choji had soon arrived with Sakura right behind them. As she spoke to Naruto, the Hyuga glanced over at the rooftop once more; Tenten had a small smile on her face. Waving at him, she stood and dashed off. With Naruto giving Sakura his promise to bring back Sasuke, the team turned and they dashed off.

Tenten ran her way to the hospital a few hours after seeing Neji off, where her other teammate was still recovering from his Chunnin Exam loss. She had found him in his room doing one handed (and one legged) push-ups. Sitting herself at the edge of his bed, she bit her lip and looked out of the window. Rock Lee, had noticed her sudden silence after she greeted him and planked. A frown formed on this face as he looked at her.

"There is something troubling you, I can tell."

Tenten hummed. "Neji and Naruto were sent on a rescue mission."

"To rescue whom?" Lee asked.

"Uchiha Sasuke. He's being taken from the village by Sound Ninja. So, the guys were sent to go get him."

That's when Lee sat straight. He looked from Tenten to the window. The Taijutsu master watched as the bunhead continued to chew at her lip, her eyebrows furrowed as she thought of all the terrible encounters they would face while trying to retrieve the Uchiha. Tenten had amazing intuition; whenever she felt something was wrong, she was almost always correct, so by this, the Taijutsu specialist was alarmed. Standing, Rock Lee, grabbed his medicine bottle and dashed out of the door. Tenten ran after him, knowing fully well what he was going to do. Even when he wasn't fully recovered, he was fast, she thought. Losing him half way down the streets, she decided to turn back and head to the Hokage's mansion. Bursting through the door, she excused herself to the hokage.

"People don't knock these days…" Tsunade murmured.

"Lady Tsunade! Lee has run after the team to retrieve Sasuke!" Tenten exclaimed.

"He what?!" The hokage exclaimed. Rummaging through her drawers, she pulled out a scroll and quickly scribbled something down. "Shizune! Have this sent to the Sand village at once! There is no way they will be able to do this on their own, especially with Rock Lee with them!"

Tenten's heart pounded as her idol looked at her with a very serious face.

"This is going to get ugly." Tsunade murmured.

I have to go tell Gai-sensei... maybe he can go after him, Tenten thought as she ran out of the mansion. A certain Pinkette past her in the street and asked what was wrong. Tenten huffed an answer

The bunhead eventually made her way home with her hands shoved into her pockets. Neji had thrown her his travel bag since her house was closer on the way to the front gates. Walking through the door, Tenten sat herself in the living room with both bags and began to unpack. Her mother was visiting her aunt and uncle in the land of Tea. Her brother was off on a mission with his squadron and her father was on an ANBU mission for the rest of the month. Neji had invited her over to stay with him until they all came back. She was looking forward to it. But since he was assigned to go get Sasuke, that'd have to wait. He could handle himself, she thought. Why was she being so anxious? She was sure he would be fine, he gave her his word he'd come back alive and in one piece. Grabbing his bag, she held it close to her; alone in her house and with her thoughts of worry.

 

Tenten's hands shook as she held her teammate's forehead protector. Gaara and his siblings had arrived just in time, according to Lee. The green beast couldn't remember much, however while in his intoxicated state, he did recall Gaara helping him and brought him back to the village. She sat at her teammates bedside. Shikamaru had approached her just as she walked through the hospital hallway with Neji's headband. He was in intensive care, according to the Nara kid. The wound just above his left collarbone was so deep, you could see through it. He had lost so much blood that by the time the medical Ninja got to him he had passed out. He wasn't dead, he had told her, but he was damn close to it. Shikamaru probably saw the look on her face and switched the topic to Lee. He had walked her to his room….and here she was. Sensing her anxious tension, Rock Lee reached over and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"He will be fine. Neji will bounce back very quickly, just you watch!" Lee smiled at her. "Be true to your name sake and have a little faith, Tenten."

"Yeah, you're right. He'll be just fine." She murmured with a half smile.

Tenten held onto the Hyuga's forehead protector. It never left her sight; she held it in her capri pants pocket and kept it by her bed side. The bunhead took it upon herself to clean off the blood stains, replace the satin fabric, and polish the metal. It'd be like new when she gave it back to him. When she visited the hospital often, the same response from the nurses came. It had been weeks and he was still in ICU. Surely, Tsunade has done her very best as well as Shizune, to treat him. When running into Shikamaru, he had told her that even Choji was still in the hospital and he could relate to her restlessness. Kiba had been released first along with Akamaru, the Nara kid told her. He was pretty quick to heal, however Tsunade wasn't going to send him on any missions for a while.

"What about Naruto and Sasuke?" Tenten asked.

Shikamaru looked down at his feet. Naruto couldn't bring Sasuke back. He too was in ICU, but only for a day or two thanks to the nine tailed fox's power. According to Kakashi, who spoke to Naruto when he gained consciousness, the Uchiha was not kidnapped, rather he went off on his own will. The only trace of him was headband Naruto was holding onto when the sensei found him at the edge of the land borders. He was gone, and definitely had no intentions of coming back. Tenten hummed sadly. Naruto had his heart set on bringing back his best friend. Betrayal was a heavy stone on one's chest; she hopes that Naruto wouldn't stay in a dark mood because of this.

"Nah, I'm sure he'll be out in a week-barely even able to run-plotting different ways of dragging Sasuke back home." Shikamaru sighed.

At this Tenten gave a small smile. "Yeah, that's something he would do."

"How's Lee doing? He really did Naruto a solid in coming after us. It was you to told him we were going off, right?"

Tenten nodded. "He's back to his old self. Well, as much enthusiasm as he can muster up before taking his medication."

"Troublesome."

The bunhead chuckled.

It was two weeks later when Neji was moved out of ICU. She had, once again, visited the hospital and was graced with this pleasant news. To top it off, his nurse said he was awake. Tenten couldn't help but give a small squeal as the nurse gave her the Hyuga's room number. Floating down the hallways, she couldn't wait to see him. Standing at his door, she checked the name before bringing her fist up to knock. Suddenly, her face fell. Would he want to see her right now? She hoped that he wouldn't shoo her away. Neji never liked to be seen a vulnerable since he was a very prideful ninja; especially when it came to her. Breathing in, she shook her head. No, he'd definitely want to see her. Gently, she rammed her knuckles against the door.

"Enter." His voice sounded from behind it.

Walking into the room, she found him at the third bed which was closest to the window. Bandages were wrapped all around his biceps and torso. His hands were stitched up and covered in medical tape. The bruises on his face were black and blue, and his hair was cut up to his shoulders, but he was alive. Neji was sitting up and reading a book. The side table had a tea set and some snacks. Tenten walked over to him and stood by the window silently, unsure of what to say. After a moment, the Hyuga closed his book and looked over at her.

"I told you I'd come back in one piece." He said.

Tenten sucked her teeth. Wow, she thought, great way to greet her.

"Nice hair cut." She shot back.

Neji rolled his eyes. He preferred his long hair that reached just below his shoulder blades, however in order to repair the hole on the left side of his chest, it needed to be cut.

"My nurse tells me that you've been trying to see me since I've been in ICU." He stated.

Tenten nodded. She was worried about him. In a way she hoped that Lee would've caught up to him so the damage wouldn't have been so bad. That's when Neji's eyebrows went up.

"Lee went after us? In his condition?"

"Well, he went after Naruto. And you know how he is. He got some action after not being able to go on missions with us for a long while." Tenten replied with a shrug.

Neji rolled his eyes at this. Typical, he thought. In all honesty, he told her, the Hyuga thought he was going to die out there. He has never experienced such physical pain in his life before that moment. But, he had to live up to people's expectations and of course, die trying. He gladly sacrificed himself to allow Naruto to retrieve one of their own.

"All because...you and him called me a genius. I would rather die one than run away." Neji mused.

"All because….I…" Tenten voice trailed off.

Neji only blinked and a tear had rolled down his best friend's cheek. She was crying over him and it gave him an odd feeling to watch her. Some could call him insensitive for not trying to calm her, but he knew her too well; she'd always cry when it was either him (and only him) around or no one at all. She had a bad habit of bottling up her sadness to keep her morals intact. Tenten didn't believe in people showing weakness. In fact, it was a pet peeve of hers, especially when it came to herself. When she had lifted her head to him, her eyes were red and she didn't meet his gaze. Tenten couldn't believe her ears; for an genius, he was such an idiot.

"Tenten," he slid over on the bed and held out his hand. "Come here."

The bunhead slipped off her shoes and sat cross legged next to him. Putting his hand on her knee, he leaned back against the cushions and closed his eyes; for now, this was the best he could do for her until she put herself back together again. After a few more moments, he felt her shift. Sitting up, he watched as Tenten pulled out a forehead protector from her pocket.

"I held onto yours while you were in ICU." She murmured handing it to him.

Neji inspected the headband; it did not look completely like his. The fabric was stainless and smoother then he remembered. The metal was perfectly shaped and polished with all of the dents and scratches taken away from it. It looked brand new. The Hyuga looked a bit confused until he ran his hand against the metal. It was his, he thought. It still felt the same and it may have looked new, but it was worn in some areas where the edges dulled and the Konoha symbol was slightly tattered.

"You...fixed it up?" He looked at her in disbelief.

"I tried to smooth out the metal without obscuring the Leaf symbol-it's a little hard to do since my dad has a better eye for rough edges and detail work-I also polished it and replaced the fabric." The weapons mistress stated.

"Oh…" he held it gently in his hands. "Thank you."

They sat in silence for a few more moments. She really didn't have to. In fact he was going to get rid of this one soon anyway. But, since Tenten went through all the trouble of fixing it up, Neji decided to keep it. Placing it on the side table, the Hyuga leaned back once more.

"When are they letting you out?" Tenten asked.

"No idea. Lady Tsunade wants to run some more tests and make sure my chest doesn't open up." He replied.

"Ah. I see."

"Will you be back tomorrow?" Neji asked.

"If you want me to be." came her reply with a small smile.

 

Neji hummed as he stood in the mirror with a towel around his waist. The scars on his chest from two years ago were no longer red, rather that had taken to a dark tan color. He ran his hand along them as he recalled that mission. He had almost died. That was the first near death experience he ever had. And as he fell unconscious, his mind drifted back to both Tenten and Naruto...but mostly Tenten. Naruto was so determined to bring his best friend back to Konoha-there was no way he was giving up-but once he failed, he gained motivation to become stronger. To find Sasuke and beat his ass before dragging him back home. The blonde had realized that Sasuke did not want to come back, but he didn't accept it, thus prompting the Uzumaki to go off on his own training to get strong enough to drag Sasuke back by force. A lot has changed after that mission; Team Gai had re-entered the chunnin exams and came out as one of the top teams between all of the villages that participated. To top it off, he was promoted to Jonnin. He was happy at first when he received the news as well as the best. But then, he realized that he was now a solo ninja. The likelihood of Team Gai being sent on missions together was small, which meant being with Tenten was going to be even more tough. They trained, however, everyday. Even with his title, neither of them have been sent on missions yet. Gai-sensei had explained to them that they had become a specialized unit; they were so perfectly balanced in their teamwork and fighting that only high ranking missions would be worthy enough for them. At this, Neji scoffed. Yes, they were the most powerful team currently in Konoha, but that meant nothing to him. He had to think of something to keep his team together. Neji had turned down the option of taking his own cell and being a sensei as well as teaching in the academy. He had turned down ANBU Black Ops as well, for that was not his goal; it was Tenten's.

"Stare as hard as you will, your reflection won't change."

Neji didn't have to turn to the doorway to know it was his female teammate. A smirk rested on his lips.

"Even if I had the option to, I wouldn't change a thing." He replied. "I was expecting you to come through the window."

Tenten chuckled. Neji's step mom had let her in. This had become a common trend between them; meeting at each other's houses was usually unplanned but expected. There was an open door policy between the two of them that they both respected. They know when to give each other space which was a big thing with Tenten. The Hyuga had told her that he'd only go over when he was certain she was up for it. And many times, the Mistress of Steel told him it wasn't a big deal and that he was always welcome in her home.

"You gonna put some pants on?" Tenten asked.

"Why should I? It's my day off." The Hyuga replied as he ran his hand through his waist long hair.

"It's never truly a day off. Don't kid yourself."

That's when Neji turned to her. She was leaning against his doorframe in her baggy red pants and white crop top. There was no forehead protector on her brow, but she had her gloves on and scroll dangling from her belt. She wanted to train today.

"I suppose you're right," Neji replied as he walked over to his dresser.

Taking out a pair of boxers, he paused. Tenten shrugged, unbothered by the fact that Neji had no intention of shooing her out of his room. It didn't bother her one bit. In fact, the very first time they saw each other bare was during a mission in the land of Rivers. They had gotten soaking wet to the point that they had to find an inn and spend the night. In order to hide their identity as ninja, they booked one room as a couple. It had made sense at the time. Normally, they wouldn't hide their Konoha headbands but they didn't want to bring unnecessary attention as well as panic. The bath that came with the room was big enough for the two of them, so Tenten suggested they bathe at the same time so no one was waiting in the room cold and wet. He tried not to look. When she started stripping from her wet clothing without warning, he couldn't help it. Soon after, it didn't bother him; it was Tenten after all. And with it just being Tenten, he felt comfortable enough to strip himself. Every now and again, he's catch her staring at the scares on his collarbone though.

"It's a surprise that you want to train on your day off," The Hyuga states as he slipped on his boxers. "What's the occasion?"

Tenten shrugged. She desired his company especially since he was away on a two month long mission without her. That was enough for Neji to shoot her a small smile before digging out his training pants. Pulling them up, walked over to her and pulled her into a hug; he missed her too. Tenten let out a soft giggle as she snaked her arms around his neck. They stood there for a moment. This was an extremely rare form of affection he showed her. Neji wasn't a very physical person with her; only when necessary. When they weren't training, he was super gentle when it came to touch. He would offer his arm to her if they were strolling casually, or let her hold his hand, like any gentleman does. It was a subtle evolution of affection. And even though neither of them will admit it, they both knew that that red string of fate was attached to their fingers. Tenten traced the scars on his collarbone slowly. She was past the point where the sight of them cause her to feel upset. The scars ended up leaving her lips in a soft smile, for he was alive and standing right in front of her.


	18. Summer baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dynamic duo share a tender moment before they head off on a mission in the dead of winter.

Slipping her fingers into the fleece woven gloves, a hefty sigh escaped her lips. Winter was one thing she never looked forward too. The breeze was anything but refreshing, her nose became irritated easily, and she just loathed how cold her steel felt. Warmth was what she preferred, it wasn't any surprise either that Lady Tsunade would always keep her team busy during the cold months. It was “good training” according to her master, or it was “because your team is the most efficient.” At these Tenten would groan as she stepped out of her house, scroll attached to her back. Reluctantly, she'd trek down to her favorite tea bar a good three hours before she had to be dispatched with her squad. There's spot was a special rendezvous point for herself and her sparring partner to mentally prepare themselves for such a mission in this weather. However, it was more of her whining and pouting that went on while her Hyuga friend would sit.

And as he sat, he'd chuckle at her grumbling while he sipped his freshly brewed tea. He himself actually preferred weather with a chill. The cold winds sent a shiver down his back, the silence of the sleeping forests gave way to a calm mind. He also did not get as easily cold as his female counterpart (although, there is a point where he too has had enough and would rather be curled in a heavy plush quilt by the fire). The Hyuga watched as she raised the ceramic tea cup to her lips and gingerly take a sip of her matcha blend. He returned her smile when she folded her legs under herself on the cushion; those long, muscular, tan legs that he had taken much pleasure in looking at whenever she wore shorts or even a bathing suit. Not to say the rest of her wasn’t nice to view-he found equal pleasure in looking at her facial features as well-however, it was just something about those legs that drew his eye to them. Perhaps it was because she was uniquely proportioned to which her torso was slightly shorter and her legs were most prominent. Or perhaps it was that her height was more dependent on those long limbs than her actual spine like most. To support such legs required strong hips; her’s were wide, which gave her curves that she almost never showed off. Above those hips was her tiny waist that was almost invisible under her baggy shirts. His hands fit ever so comfortably on her waist; his fingers molded around her midsection and his palm found that warm spot of her skin that just never seemed to go away. 

And with such skin he knew to be very careful. It was soft, and easily bruised. Every so often when he'd go to touch her, she'd flinch and swat his hands away-a bruise or a cut had been formed in a certain spot. That's soft skin would heal a new layer, still as soft as ever. He supposed that her natural texture just materialized as such no matter how much it was roughed around. For most, the skin grows back tougher and smooth, however thick and dry. 

“What's up?” She had asked him.

Neji shook his head. He was caught yet gain for gazing upon her for too long. Tenten wasn’t always a fan of people staring at her. In fact, she was always able to tell when someone had their gaze glued to her which caused an alarm to go off in her head. Much to his misfortune, whenever he would admire her, whether up close or afar, he would become careless and be caught by the weapon’s mistress. When he was caught, he was always presented with a concerned question as if something was wrong; specifically speaking, if he had noticed something wrong with her. And yet, the Hyuga was had found quite the opposite. Sure, she had her faults, but he never minded them. After all, perfection didn’t exist. He wouldn’t go far as to say he saw his teammate as the perfect partner, but she was definitely the best match for him. The complemented each other with such elegance, one would think they were, in fact, perfect. At least, that’s what all of rookie nine believed. They were glued at the hip most of the time, even when they pissed each other off. More so now due to the winter season.

“Neji, look.” Tenten flashed him a smile before looking out the window. “It’s snowing…”

The Jonnin followed her gaze to the glass window. Leaning back in his seat, he watched as the snowflakes gently cascaded down from the overcasted clouds above. The weather phenomenon had always intrigued him. Snow was silence, it was calming. For some reason, winter was the Hyuga’s favorite season, perhaps due to the fact that on days like this, the snow caused time to slow down and helped him find clarity within his conscious. Meditation within a frigid environment allowed for stillness which amplified his senses to unspeakable heights. He knew Tenten felt it too. During the winter was when they spent the most time together due to the fact that she became easily restless if she stayed in the house too long, and he enjoyed taking strolls through the snow. And then there was moments like these, where they shared a comfortable silence, that stillness that he adored so much. Tenten loved the loud, bright aesthetic of the warmer months of summer, but Neji believed that if it weren’t for the windchill, she liked winter just as much. Tenten glanced over at her teammate after a moment. An ever so soft smile had plastered itself on the Hyuga’s face, a genuine smile that Tenten has only seen twice in her lifetime. She stretched her legs back you and nudged him with her foot. His eyebrows shot upward and shifted his eyes to her. He still had his face of complete contentment, she noticed. He picked up his ceramic mug and began to sip from it. 

“Getting restless?” Neji hummed.

“A bit.” The bun head glanced down at her empty mug. “We have to leave soon.”

The Hyuga nodded and drowned the rest of his tea. They paid and stood by the door to the cafe. Tenten gave a disgruntled huff as she tightly bounded her winter traveling cloak around her and put on her gloves. Neji wrapped a blue wool scarf around his neck before adjusted his own gear. As a brick hit her square in the face, Tenten squealed as the winter air swept across her skin. Shoving her hands into her fleece lined pants, her shoulders shook. Damn, she really hated winter. Even with her long sleeved thermals and her good leggings under her pants, she was still cold. Her ninja cloak was supposed to keep in the warmth of her body, however, when the wind hit her face it travelled down her cheeks to her neck. Tenten glanced over at her male counterpart. Neji was looking upward to the clouds, watching as the snow fell around them as they walked. His ivory eyes had caught the attention of a rather large snowflake. He tracked it’s slow fluttering movements and as the wind blew, the snowflake changed its direction. His eyes soon met the weapon mistress’ as the snowflake landed on her nose. The kunoichi scrunched up her blush tinted nose as the snowflake made contact with her skin. Neji chuckled softly as Tenten grunted loudly. The wind blew once more and Tenten’s shivers intensified. This didn’t go unnoticed by the Hyuga. Sighing, he stopped in his tracks and began to unwrap his scarf. Tenten watched as he removed the garment and asked what he was doing. She looked at him wide eyed as he swiftly whipped the scarf around her head. As if it played in slow motion, the wool scarf fell to her shoulders and his eyes never left hers. Then, she blinked. Neji wrapped he scarf around her a few times and secured it. 

“Better?” he rested his hands on her shoulders.

Tenten didn’t realize that her mouth was hanging slightly ajar by his act of kindness. After a moment she nodded and adjusted the scarf up to her nose. As she inhaled she smiled a bit; it smelled like him. The cold had amplified his scent that consisted of some kind of mint and camomile tea. 

“Thanks, you didn’t have to.” she stated as they continued to walk.

Neji shrugged. He had a higher tolerance and preference for the cold than she did. Besides, he didn’t want to hear anymore complaining while they were traveling about for the mission. Tenten gave an exasperated gasp at his response. She groaned as he walked ahead of her. Her chocolate brown eyes glared at the back of his head. Tenten mumbled something about how she couldn’t wait for winter to be over so she could run around in her shorts and a t-shirt. The comment reached his ears and caused him to smirk. His teammate was indeed a Summer Baby.


	19. Winter Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our duo shares a moment after a training session at the beach

The sun was beating down harshly on the pair as they collapsed into the sand. He hated summer. Konoha never had a dry heat wave, there was always moisture in the air that caused his skin to feel sticky and cause his hair to become unmanageable. Luckily, there were many trees which allowed for delicious shade with the occasional breeze. In the summer the Hyuga always took to being indoors for the main fact that he sunburned very easily and he hated the feeling of his hands getting clammy. Neji’s pale complexion stood no chance against the sun’s blaring rays even with excessive amounts of sunscreen. To his luck, his teammate had suggested that they trained at the beach today in order to change the scenery of their usual grassy training grounds. At least the training grounds had shade, he grumbled. If it wasn’t for the fact that he couldn’t bring himself to say no to his female counterpart, they wouldn’t be here in the first place. His ivory eyes watched as the bun head squatted down next to him. Her skin was glowing against the sun’s rays, her eyes were sparkling gold specks and whether it was the sun or not, her smiles were brighter. In this weather, Neji found himself staring at her more than usual (which was already a lot, mind you).

Tenten grinned as she pulled out some frozen water bottles from her bag. She loved the heat and summer was her favorite season. The atmosphere was bright and lively. Summer was a colorful season in Konoha with festivals, hangouts and crowded streets; she loved that kind of vibe. The feel of the sun on her tan skin was refreshing as well as the bright blue skies that drifted along. To top if off, she could wear whatever she wanted for work between shorts or cotton capris. Any chance she got to embrace the wonderful warm weather, she would take and drag her partner out with her. The beach, where they currently were, was her favorite place to be. The sound of the waves caused her shoulders to droop downward in relaxation and the smell of the salty waters sent her gaze to the horizon, where to stared at just… just thinking. She would sit in the sun with her toes buried in the sand and think about anything and everything. Brining the the bottle of ice water to her lips, Tenten let out a pleasant hum; summer was also a great chance to sneak glances at her male counterpart. The weapon’s mistress knew that Neji hated the heat, but she knew once she convinced him to leave the house he’d suck it up and roll with it. Usually on summer days, Neji opted for a short sleeved cotton shirt that hugged his body. Almost every muscle was defined when he wore the thin fabric. He’s also chose to wear cargo shorts with deep pockets. Never had Tenten seen the Hyuga in basketball shorts or sweats, although she didn’t think he’d be comfortable going out in such lightweight clothing that he could sweat through easily. For herself, depending on the day she’d wear a dress. Yes, a cotton sun dress was perfect for catching the breeze and overall comfort. However, that was when she was on her day off. For training today, she managed to get away with a loose pink cotton crop top with a black sports bra and spandex booty shorts. And with this choice of outfit, she had caught the Hyuga boy staring at her on multiple occasions. It was definitely the shorts, she thought. But, they were the coolest choice for bottoms and Neji knew to keep his comments to himself whether they were good or bad. Speaking of which, the Hyuga usually wore a loose tank top for training, but due to the weather being hotter than usual, he was topless...and sweaty...Tenten let out a small chuckle.

“Tenten,” the Hyuga sighed as he drowned his ice water. “Pass me the sunscreen.”

Tenten shifted her gaze from the water to her teammate. His skin was beginning to turn an aggravated blush color. Digging into her bag, she scooted herself over and pressed her cold hand (thanks to the frozen water bottle) to his back. Neji flinched and let out a small moan as her cold hand made impact with his skin; this caused Tenten to grin. She slowly moved her hand to his shoulder and watched as the Hyuga laid his hand on top of her’s, preventing her from moving it again. His skin was hot; indeed a sunburn was beginning to form. Tenten removed her hand after a moment and squeezed some sunscreen into her palm. She glided the lotion across his upper back and shoulders, pressing down hard to release some tension in his toned muscles. Her teammate hunched forward a bit, a sign of giving into her touch. The Hyuga’s skin was rough in certain spots, mostly where he had his deepest of scars. And yet Tenten found herself teasing over them as gently as she could, knowing fully well they wouldn’t open up. Down his spine she went and another groan came from the Hyuga’s throat. He sat upright as Tenten pressed into his lower back.

“Geez, Neji… why are you so tense?” Tenten hummed as she worked her fingers into his skin.

“We are most active in the warmer months. I suppose due to Tsunade sending us on multiple missions back to back for the past few weeks has gotten to me…” he huffed. “And the heat doesn’t help one bit.”

The bun head let out a laugh as she squirted more sunscreen on her hands. She proceeded to cover his arms and the rest of his neck. Neji covered his own face while Tenten swiftly ran her fingers along his front. The Hyuga boy couldn't see it, but he knew that as she ran her hands around his chest and abs, she was a small devious smirk on her face. This was a common situation with them during the summer; Tenten would always slather Neji with sunscreen all over, even on missions. Their friends found it quite hilarious that the bunhead would rub her hands all over the Hyuga’s body so casually no matter where they were and the said Hyuga would hold still as she did it without any complaints. They were partners after all, she had to take care for him (and vise versa, of course). Sitting on her heels, the weapons mistress let her arms rest around her teammate’s shoulders. She leaned her torso against his back and looked back out into the water. An ocean breeze hit the pair in the face and Neji glanced over at her. Her golden brown eyes were dazed as she looked out at the water and a small pout was resting on her lips. The Hyuga didn’t mind her leaning on him, in fact he enjoyed it. But, it was generating heat between them which was causing him to squirm a bit and become uncomfortable. Reaching back, he gently tapped on her protruding bottom lip to get her attention. After a blink, the bun head side glanced at him before removing herself from his body. As soon as she did, Neji stood. Tenten eyed him as he reached his hand to her. After hoisting her up, he pulled her towards the water. To his pleasant surprise, it was cool. They sat near the edge where the water just hit the sand. The contrast was intense between the beating on his back, and the water rushing between his toes. Once again, he glanced over at his teammate. There she was again, staring off into the horizon. A moment past and Tenten caught his stare. They both sat there looking at each other. Just looking. It was moments like these where they would let their eyes wander along each other, admiring one another; no verbal interaction was needed. The moment ended when Tenten broke the silence.

“Do you like training here?” she asked gesturing to the sand.

Neji shrugged. It was a great challenge dealing with the sand. Although, he still preferred the shady training grounds where they usually went to. The sun was too strong here at which irritated his skin even with the constant reapplication of sun block, he hummed. And there was barely and shade. At least during the colder months it was easy to get warm with layers of clothing and just over all being indoors. However, it was harder to cool down from heat than it was to warm up form the cold. The only way they had to cool off was by walking into the water. Tenten rolled her eyes at his complaints. Her teammate was indeed a Winter Baby.


End file.
